An Icy Heart
by NikS1nnoman
Summary: The world was getting darker. And now he could add supernatural sightings to the mix. But god help those poor bastards down in New Orleans. Because Bruce Wayne was pretty sure he had just unleashed the Devil upon them. Who just happened to be his little sister. **Crossover with Justice League. This is entirely AU, non-profit, created thanks to plot pandas. Rated M to be safe.**
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer~: The same as my other stories. I am an ESL teacher working in Asia, with a degree in history and a passion for reading and watching television shows/movies. Nothing that is familiar to anyone is owned by myself.**

 **This is entirely AU, so I have not always stuck to cannon. This is fanfiction. You want cannon? Go to the source.**

* * *

 _Prologue_

The world was getting darker. It seemed like every week there was a new threat; another meta-human, a new terrorist, a natural disaster. Hell, even aliens. And now this new report he had just opened on his computer.

He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. This idea that he had come up with to help defend Earth had been great on paper. In reality however it was proving to be nothing more than a massive headache. Tracking down the individuals alone was proving difficult enough, let alone getting in contact with them and recruiting them. He'd lost count of the amount of times his life had been threatened because of this ridiculous venture.

Remember the dream, he kept telling himself. Remember what you promised Kent. It was that promise that kept him going. And just when he had finally managed to track down the next…candidate…this email springs up on his computer. It's from a contact of his, their relationship going back years, long before his tenure as the Batman began. This contact knew about both of his identities, and kept him updated with the dealings of the underworld outside Gotham on a regular basis. But he had never before sent an email where the Subject Line read only one word: _Urgent!_

Bruce Wayne could feel a minute shiver run down his spine as he stared at that word. Not now. With trepidation running through him, an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time, he clicked twice on the email to open it.

Ten seconds later he was wishing he had ignored it.

Twenty seconds later he was wondering whether Alfred had put something in his coffee.

Thirty seconds later he was swearing up a storm whilst trying to find his phone. There was no way he could deal with this. He would have sworn it was nothing more than an elaborate prank had it not been sent by this contact – a person who knew less about the word humour than he did. This was important, and not something that cops, hell not even the sodden FBI, could deal with. No, this was something that only he could deal with. Or someone like him.

His fingers finally curled around his cell and he picked it up, scrolling through his contacts until he found the number of one person he had hoped to never call again. Here's hoping I leave this conversation intact, he thought to himself as he pressed dial. "Ana? It's Bruce. I'm sorry but…I need your help. I need you to go to Louisiana. Something…something is happening down there and I can't…yes I know. I know Ana! But I have other…I know you do as well. You…fine. Please. Please! Thank you Ana." He ended the call and dropped the phone onto his desk, forwarding the email he was looking at onto the woman he had just talked to before his nerves could get the better of him.

There were only a few things left in his life that scared the shit out of Bruce Wayne, and his sister Anastashia was at the top of that list. God help whoever was raising hell in New Orleans. Because he was pretty sure he had just unleased the Devil on them.

* * *

 _Chapter One_

New Orleans. The Big Easy. Known for its round-the-clock parties, live-music and food. Not to mention its rather turbulent history. If someone was looking for a good time, a chance to unwind and to simply go with the flow, New Orleans was the place to be. And of course, nothing in New Orleans was as famous as the French Quarter. Many people claimed it was that part of the city that made New Orleans what it was. Everyone made a point to visit the French Quarter.

It was also the one place in the city where the crime rate had dropped below average. Under normal circumstances this would be great. Except it was too suspicious to be good news. Crime did not drop below average over the course of one night. Not even in Gotham…but then that was Gotham. But Metropolis, even when the Man of Steel was around, didn't see as big a drop in crime in such a short space of time. Which is why the Quarter had been red-flagged.

And naturally, the Bat was too busy to take care of it himself. Which was why Ana found herself sitting in a wicker chair outside a place called CC's Coffee House*, nursing a blueberry scone and a latte. Not that she wanted either, but she needed a reason to be loitering, and a café was the perfect place to do so. Granted a bar was too, and she would have preferred it, but most people tend to frown at those drinking at ten in the morning. And she didn't need a reputation of being a raving alcoholic. So coffee and scone it was.

The only good thing about this café was its location, directly across the street from The Abattoir – also known as one of the hottest clubs in the Quarter. And, according to the report she had tucked away in her phone, yes thank you once again Bat, under the ownership of one Marcel Gerard. Funny thing was, according to the digging she had done the day before, the ownership of this building had been under the same name since the 1920s, with just enough miss-directions and what was probably a lot of bribes and payoffs to bury the truth. But then, Ana guessed, anyone who had looked before probably weren't as tenacious as her, nor have the hacking skills she had or the resources that were at her disposal. _At least the Bat is useful for something_ , she thought with a snort.

Ana watched as a group of people stepped out of the tunnel leading to the building, noting with sharp eyes each person. An eccentric gathering; three appeared to be rather generic; typical bodyguard personas. Unremarkable, easy to look past, but certainly lethal enough. A tall Caucasian, very thin in jeans, a knitted cardigan and (Ana had to bite her cheek to stop from smiling) a flat cap, the sort of one Alfred would very occasionally wear if he was in a particular mood. The last two men were both black**, the taller of the two sporting an outstanding afro. It was painfully obvious he was also the 'muscle', from his arrogant stance right down to the clothes he wore. Both he and the Caucasian were flanking the second black man, whom Ana instantly recognised as being Marcel Gerard. He was shorter, with a buzz of dark hair, with enough muscle that would catch the eye of any appreciative woman. That combined with the air of authority and the shit-eating grin on his face had Ana groaning internally to herself as she made a silent promise. _Bruce Wayne, you're a dead man_.

She watched the man and his posse take off down the road before rising, coffee and scone untouched but already paid for, and started to stroll after them. She made sure to walk very casually, had in fact perfected this particular walk years ago, with her nose 'stuck' in a brochure that gave a very detailed insight into the Quarter. All the while she followed her target. Marcel Gerard was the man in charge in the Quarter. Ana had been here for a week and had been quietly gathering information on him. His rise to power, and what he did with it. His band of followers, which in itself was a little scary, but add in the fact that they followed him with almost blind devotion, was almost terrifying. And better not forget that according to the paper trail she had unearthed, this man had been around for nearly two hundred years. The fact that her only reaction to that news was freezing for ten seconds before blinking and carrying on was a testament to just how fucked up her life was these days.

The group headed into a café just down the road, leaving Ana quietly cursing. She couldn't follow them in there, having just been sitting outside another bloody café waiting for them to appear. _You're a fucking Wayne, start acting like one._ Oh great. Her inner voice was starting to sound like her brother. She needed to get off this planet soon. Her inner monologue wasn't wrong though; if anything it would give her the in she needed. Internally cursing her brother yet again Ana stuffed the leaflet in her bag, ran a hand quickly through her hair and crossed the street to reach the coffee shop. As her hand curled around the door handle she had one last thought: _Here's hoping your info is as solid as always Bat._

* * *

No bell rang as the door opened; there was no need when the shop was owned and staffed by vampires. Sitting in the window seat Marcel's gaze had already been caught by the woman as she crossed the street. His first thought was that there was a wealth of brown hair piled haphazardly on her head. His second thought, one that came to mind only after she had entered the building, was that she was captivating. If he hadn't been actively and openly pursuing Camille than he may have tried something with her. Glancing across the table Marcel saw that his companion's attention was equally caught by the woman. He snorted, shaking his head a little. "You always did have a soft spot for a pretty face didn't you Klaus."

Klaus turned his head back towards Marcel with the familiar smirk playing on his lips. "And you didn't?" Marcel snorted, shaking his head a little, refusing to fall back into the decade's old argument between them. "So who is she then?"

Marcel tilted a shoulder slightly in a shrug. "I don't know. Probably a tourist. They drift in here sometimes, and are then usually invited to one of the parties." He grinned at his maker.

Klaus refrained from rolling his eyes at the comment. "If she's a tourist, why is she talking about employment opportunities in the Quarter?"

Marcel had not been listening to the other conversations in the shop, but now tuned into them. He focused on the woman who was standing at the counter who, just as Klaus said, was enquiring about jobs. Kerrin, the vampire she was talking to, caught Marcel's eye, silently asking him what he wanted her to do. He rose to his feet and strolled over to the bar. Anything to get away from Klaus asking about his brother's whereabouts.

"Excuse me" the brown-haired woman turned to him. "Forgive me, I couldn't help but hear your conversation." He was stuck once again by the beauty the woman's face held. _Camille_ , he mentally chided himself. "Now what would a stunning person such as yourself be doing asking about jobs in a lowly café?" He noticed idly that her hair wasn't entirely brown; it had streaks of red and blonde running through it and her eyes were a luminous green.

The woman raised an eyebrow slightly and her mouth curved in a half-smile. She turned to lean against the counter, waiting for her order to be handed over. "One who's recently moved to the Quarter and wanting to know what sort of opportunities are available here."

Marcel grinned, flashing his white teeth. "But a café. Forgive me Miss, but you seem better suited to something more…sophisticated."

She laughed. "And what makes you think I'm not? If this café is anything like the ones back home the workers make a point of knowing everything that is going on in the city. You want to know anything, you go to the local café. That's where all the gossip is."

It was Marcel's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Is that so? Maybe that's something I should keep in mind in future. So what are you looking for then? I might be able to help you out."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And why would you do that?"

Marcel shrugged slightly, attempting to look humble. It didn't really suit him. "Because I know everything that's going on in the Quarter. You could say that's _my_ job."

The woman laughed slightly. "Wow. Ego much." She shook her head a little. "Thank you, but I prefer to fight my own battle Mr…"

"Gerard. But please call me Marcel." He held out a hand.

She pressed her hand into his very briefly, just enough for him to feel the indent of a ring on her finger before Kerrin called out her order. She dropped his hand and turned around to pick up the offered cup, reaching into her bag to grab her bag. Marcel spoke up again. "No, I got this."

She turned back to him, an eyebrow raised again. "You're sure?"

He grinned. "Absolutely."

The woman shrugged. "If you insist. I'd say it was a pleasure Mr Gerard."

"But?"

"I've always been told never to tell lies."

Marcel laughed. He liked this woman. "Can I ask for your name before you leave?"

"Of course you can." She turned to the door.

Marcel reached out to touch her shoulder. "You didn't give it."

She turned back to look at him. "I said you could ask for it. I never said I'd give it." She grinned, winked at him and left the café.

Marcel let her go, feeling a little stunned that his Southern charm, normally so good with the ladies, had no effect on her. Oblivious to the fact that Klaus had left the shop during his conversation with the woman, Marcel too left, signalling to his friends he wanted to be left alone. He decided to go and visit Rebekah; Klaus was up to something and he needed to know what it was, hoping against hope that he wasn't trying to stir anything up.

* * *

Ana sat on a bench in Jackson Square, updating the files on her phone. The coffee she had (not) brought sat on the seat next to her, untouched as she focused on her work. She knew from her conversation with him that Marcel Gerard considered himself the man in charge, answerable to no one, and as a result probably the one who was behind all of the _incidents_ listed in the Bat's report.

She was also making notes of the different conversations she had heard amongst the others who had been in the café with Marcel. She hadn't been able to hear his conversation with the blonde-haired man, but his two sycophants had been talking about something they had placed in a church a few weeks prior; both had been completely oblivious to the fact that she had been listening in on their conversation, even while she had been talking to Marcel. Man that was someone who loved the sound of his own voice.

Despite being engrossed in her work Ana was still hyper-aware of everything that was going on around her and so when a certain dark-skinned man cut through the park talking into a phone her attention was immediately caught. Casually lifting a hand to her right ear, Ana's finger pressed against a small bud nestled on her earlobe. To anyone else it might look like an earring, but it was actually an advanced prototype of a listening device Wayne R&D had been recently developing. Sufficed to say, it worked like a treat.

 _"…_ _had D wipe the location from her mind…she knows she saw him, but she won't remember the church was St Anne's? Look, having Klaus and Rebekah here are bad enough, add Elijah into the mix…I don't plan on giving him back to them period. They're up to something, I intend to find out what…"_

Marcel had left the park before he finished his conversation but Ana didn't follow him. She pressed a finger against the listening device to turn it off and dropped her hand into her lap. So it seemed Marcel was hiding something…no, some _one_ , somewhere in the city. And didn't want others to find him. Very interesting.

Ana sighed, looking down at the ground and rubbing her forehead. She had a lot of new information that she needed to go through; nothing she had at the minute was making any sense. A pair of black shoes entered her field of vision and she looking up, frowning slightly. It was one of the men from the café earlier, the one Marcel had been talking to. He was also standing…uncomfortably close. Ana was glad she had locked her phone. "Can I help you?"

The man smirked, taking note of her obvious discomfort before taking a slight step back, allowing her to stand up. "My friend failed to introduce me to you earlier. Klaus Mikaelson."

Ana's face remained impassive even as her brain started working a mile a minute. _So this is Klaus. The person that Marcel is keeping someone from is his friend?_ For possibly the tenth time that day she cursed her brother. She smiled slightly at Klaus. "Ana. I'd say it's a pleasure but I hardly know you."

Klaus laughed slightly. "You wouldn't say it even if you did know me love. Anyway, I just wanted to give you this. I heard you say you're new here and thought you might like to attend a little party Marcel is throwing. Nothing fancy."

He handed her a stiff, heavy envelope. Ana raised an eyebrow. _Nothing fancy my ass._ That stationary was ridiculously expensive, something she only knew because she had jokingly brought the set for Bruce for Christmas last year. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow night love."

That was a little bit of an inconvenience. Ana had planned to do some reconnaissance then; it was a new moon so the sky would be dark, the perfect time for sneaking around. "Hmm…I'm not sure. That doesn't leave me a lot of time to get organised."

Klaus flashed a grin. "Well I hope you would come. If nothing more than to keep Marcel on his toes. He seemed…rather taken with you." Ana could practically _smell_ the lie in his voice. "And you should meet my sister, Rebekah. I think you two would get along very well." _So Rebekah is a Mikaelson as well. Christ above I'm gonna need to start writing up a sodden chart at this rate just for all the names._

"You may wish you hadn't said that. Well I'm not sure what I'm up to tomorrow yet, so you might see me there." Klaus gave her yet another grin before turning and walking off. Ana slit open the envelope and pulled out an embossed invitation, snorting slightly. It was the sort of thing she would usually have to organise when Bruce was throwing one of his many fundraisers.

 _You are invited to attend on October 32st_

 _A Halloween Masquerade Ball_

 _Held at The Abattoir_

 _And Hosted by Mr. Marcel Gerard_

 _8:30 pm_

The Abattoir? Ana had been trying to come up with a way of getting into that building without raising suspicion. Now she had been practically handed a way in on a silver platter. She slid the card back into the envelope and put it into her bag before picking up her phone, scrolling through her contacts as she left the Square. "Alfred? I need to come up with an outfit for a Masquerade Ball for tomorrow night. Something that will…stand out."


	2. Chapter 2

**So more happened in this chapter than I wanted to. The original plan was for a short evening scene followed by the Masquerade party scene. That didn't happen. I started typing and my fingers just developed a mind of their own.**

 **I would just like to say I am absolutely blown away by the response to the first chapter. Thanks to the 49 people who have viewed the first chapter, big thanks to the Guest who left an amazing review, and a** **huge** **thank you to Brookeworm3 who left a review, is following the story and has added me as a favourite author and set up author alert. That means so much, it really does.**

 **One last thing, I made two notes in the first chapter that I needed to go into more detail on and completely forgot to do so. Those explanations are at the bottom of** **this** **chapter. Hopefully it makes sense.**

* * *

Chapter Two

Ana waited until an hour after sunset before leaving the small apartment she was staying in. Of course just because the sun had set didn't mean that the city had quietened down at all. If anything there were even more people in the Quarter now than there was during the day. which made her task both easier and harder. Easier because it meant she was able to blend in far better, no one would remember her. On the other hand it did mean potentially more witnesses if anything were to go wrong. And something was bound to go wrong. It always did.

She took care to dress in dark clothes; in all honesty it didn't really matter what she wore, but at least she wouldn't be particularly eye-catching. Ana joined in with the crowds heading towards the centre of the Quarter. She thought back to the conversation she had overheard Marcel had been a part of on his phone. He had mentioned a place; _"_ _St Anne's"_. She had researched the name in relation to New Orleans and a lot of information was thrown back at her. At the top of the list was St Anne's Street; directly below that was St Anne's Church. She clicked on the link and articles exploded across the screen. It became obvious straight away what the articles were about – a brutal murder spree that had ended in a suicide.

Ana had shuddered slightly as she read the articles surrounding that event; it was gruesome, and since then things hadn't improved much. The young man who was responsible for the deaths was related to the priest of the church. An interesting turn of events. And why would Marcel be interested in the building? What connection did he have to it? So her goal tonight was to find out as much as she could about the church and whatever Marcel Gerard had hidden away in there.

She finally hit Jackson Square and started making her way over to St Anne's Street. The church was about half way up the street, set back a little from the rest of the buildings so it stood out impressively. Alleyways ran down either side of the church and it was the right-hand one she decided to walk down. The building looked deserted, but she was more than aware of how deceiving looks can be. She was a perfect example. And now seemed like a perfect to show just how much that term applied to her. Ana took a step deeper into the shadows and dropped her bag into a convenient hedge. No need to be carrying that around with her.

Ana then lifted her right hand a little and gently blew onto her fingers. A small silver ring sat on her middle finger with an elegant, understated diamond. The diamond would often change colour; sometimes it would be clear, other times a light purple and occasionally a brilliant sapphire. Anyone who would see the diamond change colour would assume it was because of the light, but it was actually because of a completely different reason.

Anastasia Wayne was not a regular human. Well, she was as human as her brother. Several years ago, not long after Bruce donned the cape and cowl, something happened to Ana. She had been in Coast City visiting an old friend when the two of them had been caught in a sphere of emerald green light and had completely turned their lives around. It took too long to explain, or even think about, but Hal had been chosen to become a Green Lantern. Ana had unfortunately been brought along for the ride, wearing the ring that her brother had given her when she had graduated college. Somehow the energy from that bloody orb entered her ring and changed it…and her. Hal was henceforth a Green Lantern, a being that used the energy generated from all the Hope in the universe to fight evil. Ana became something brand new, never before seen in the universe. She became the Sapphire Lantern.

She had later found out that there was another Corps called Star Sapphire, whose colour was violet and were generally villains. Ana's colours however varied, just like her ring, depending what she was doing at that time. Mostly when she called upon the ring's powers she was dressed in a white tunic with hints of sapphire blue around the edges. Her hair turned white-blonde and her face was covered in a white mask, very similar to the ones worn by the Green Lanterns, but it also had streaks of blue running through it.

Nearly a decade had passed since she had first received these powers and she could honestly say that her life had never been the same since. Hell, half the time she was never on the planet anymore. She was the only being in the Universe that could harness the power of Life, a power that was wielded by the now-extinct White Lantern Corps, and combine it with the Green Lanterns power of Will and the Blue Lanterns power of Hope. It meant that she was often in demand. It also meant that she had spent a long time away from Gotham and her brother, so whenever he called and asked for a favour she felt like she had to say yes.

With a whisper of thought the ring's power activated. A soft white-blue light enveloped Ana and when it faded she was dressed in the white-blue uniform of the Sapphire Lantern. Despite the masses of people on the streets no one had noticed the transformation; probably thinking it was yet another group of people having a party.

Ana glanced up and saw, thanks to her advanced senses now she was accessing her powers, a window open right at the top of the church. There was a soft light escaping from the window, leading Ana to think someone was there. So with a burst of power she lifted into the air and drifted up to the window, peering through into the room. She was not expecting what she saw.

It was a bedroom. An absolutely gorgeous bedroom. In the attic of the church. Ana blinked in confusion. _What the hell?_ She couldn't see anyone in the room, and knowing full well she was going to regret this, she entered the room. It truly was gorgeous. A king sized bed with a white bedspread, candles covering every surface, a huge mirror with fairy lights hanging off of it, a space that was filled with art equipment. The list went on. But the strangest thing, the one thing that stood out in the room, was the coffin. A deep mahogany coloured coffin was on the floor, looking completely out of place compared to the rest of the room. Which considering she was currently standing in a church and the coffin seemed out of place was a testament of how strange the entire situation was.

Ana had taken a step towards the coffin when a door concealed behind a Chinese silk screen opened. Not wanting to freak out whoever was about to step into the room Ana floated back out of the window and took up a spot just next to it, so she was able to still look into the room but no one would be able to see her. Into the room stepped a young girl, wearing a short green dress, barefoot and had a wealth of dark brown hair. She looked very young; Ana wasn't great at guessing ages anymore thanks to her galactic travelling, so she reckoned maybe sixteen years old. But she was beautiful, and looked deeply troubled. Ana watched her walk over to the bed and sink down, staring at the coffin in deep though.

* * *

Ana frowned. This was not what she was expecting. A shout from the street caught her attention briefly and Ana turned her head to see what was happening. She turned back…and was met by the girl's gaze. It was a mixture of fear, anger and a small amount of resignation. She stood up off of the bed and took a step towards the window, her hands raising up slightly in a vaguely defensive manner. "Who are you?"

Ana rolled her eyes slightly. "Well, that's kind of the point of the mask. So you don't know who I am." She grinned at the girl.

She received a raised eyebrow. "Halloween is tomorrow."

Ana shrugged. "Maybe I felt like celebrating it a day early."

"And clinging to the side of the church?"

"Technically I'm floating. I'm not holding onto anything."

The girl took another step forward, almost in spite of herself. Ana pushed herself away from the building and showed the girl she was speaking the truth. "How?" She whispered, seemingly in awe.

Ana shrugged again. "It's a long story. But yeah, I fly."

"Which coven do you belong to then?"

"I'm sorry, coven?"

The girl nodded. "You're not from the Quarter's coven."

 _She thinks I'm a witch?_ Ana wasn't sure what she thought about that. "I'm not a witch. I have powers yes, but they're not supernatural." The girl stayed quiet, waiting for an answer Ana wasn't going to give her. "What's your name?"

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to know?"

"So I can call you something other than little girl. I don't know about you, but personally I hate being called that."

The girl hesitated so Ana continued. "You can call me Sapphire. Most people who see me in this outfit call me that. Others usually just call me a stone cold bitch."

"Are you?"

"Pretty much." The girl laughed, startling herself if the look on her face was anything to go by. "So what can I call you? It doesn't have to be your actual name, if you're uncomfortable with telling me."

"Some people call me D."

Ana nodded. "D it is then. So, I kind of have to address the elephant in the room…" She noticed how D's body turned slightly as if to look at the coffin, "…what are you doing in a church?"

Clearly the girl hadn't been expecting that to be the question. "I…I'm…" she sighed heavily. "I guess you could say that I've left my family. We had a…falling out."

Ana tilted her head slightly. "I can understand that. Heaven knows the arguments I used to get in with mine at your age. But why the attic of a church? Why not a friend's house, or your boyfriends place?"

D shrugged heavily, sinking down onto the bed. "Because I don't have any friends. Not anymore at least. And I don't have a boyfriend. This is the safest place for me."

 _Interesting_. "Why would this be the safest place for you?"

"It's kind of a long story."

"I've got time. But would you mind if I come in? It's going to be a little hard to explain if someone happens to see me floating around out here."

D nodded slightly. "Why not. Come on in." Again she looked a little shocked by her answer. Ana floated back to the window and climbed into the room. She made sure to keep far enough away from D to try and help her feel more comfortable, and would let her explore the room a little more. So D told her everything that had happened, right from when she had been chosen for the Harvest right up to throwing Rebekah Mikaelson out of the window behind her. Ana was a little stunned. She was right in thinking that this girl in front of her was now the vessel for the amount of power four girls her age would have, but that truly was a shit load of power.

"Why was she here?" Ana was curious. Marcel Gerard had mentioned Rebekah's name earlier in relation to Klaus.

"She was looking for him." D waved a hand and the lid of the coffin sprang open. Ana approached it, pure confusion washing through her. The man in the coffin was, despite the grey, corpselike look he was sporting, gorgeous. Dressed impeccably in a dark suit, his hair perfectly arranged, the only thing that was out of place was the silver dagger sticking out of his chest.

"Huh." Was the only thing that she could think of. "So why is he here? And who is he?"

"Elijah Mikaelson. He's Klaus' brother, who gave his body to Marcel to prove his loyalty." _Must write all this down, must write all this down._ "According to Marcel an Original can't be killed, but with the dagger in them they're locked in a kind of stasis. Marcel wants me to find out how to make the stasis permanent."

"Do you want to do that?"

"Sorry?" D looked confused.

"You said Marcel wants you to work out a…stasis spell. You've also said he uses you to help him in keeping the witches under control, always doing spells for him. But do you actually want to do any of this?"

"Well yes. Marcel saved me…"

"But that doesn't mean he owns you. You can say no." D bit her lip hard and Ana instantly saw something in that moment. All of the people she knew or knew her only saw her as a witch, a power source, a way to help themselves. Ana started wandering if she was the first person in a long time to see D simply as a girl.

"I don't…all I want is to be normal. I've never wanted this power and now I've got loads of it. Everyone wants me for the power that I have and its driving me insane."

Ana nodded. "I can understand that. I'm the only person alive that has the powers I have, and I'm always in demand. People always wanting me to help them out, fixing issues etc." _Okay so not necessarily people, but if she started mentioning different alien species the questions would never end._

D looked up, interested. "So how do you deal with it? What do you do?"

Ana shrugged slightly. "Well I don't always say yes. Sometimes people want me to do something that I'm not comfortable with, and I just say no. If they try to force me to do it, I remind them why they want me in the first place; because I have the power. They can't tell me what to do, what to think. That's up to me. It's the same with you D; you are the only person who can decide what you do. Don't let someone else rule your life."

D was quiet, obviously taking in what Ana had said. Before she said anything a knock sounded on the door. Both Ana and D jumped slightly before D's gaze swung to Ana's with something akin to panic. Ana was too far away from the window as the door was already opening so she dove behind the Chinese screen, dimming down her ring as much as possible. Marcel's voice echoed in the attic room and Ana rolled her eyes in exasperation. _Bullocks._ "Hey lil D, I gotta surprise for you downstairs."

Ana could practically hear D's eye roll. "What surprise?"

Marcel laughed slightly. "Come down and see."

"Give me a second, I'll be right down."

Ana heard the door close again and she waited a minute before stepping out from behind the screen to see D chewing her lip again. "You going down then?"

D sighed before nodding. "He'll just come back up again if I don't. And he can't know you're here. How he didn't hear you just now…"

"He'll only know I'm here if I want him to know. Otherwise, I'm completely invisible to him."

D smiled slightly, her gaze drifting back to the coffin briefly. "Do what you want with him. I don't know what, honestly I don't care." She left the room without a backward glance, leaving Ana reeling a little. _Okay, what the hell just happened._ She felt like she had been bombarded with information, which had answered a hell of a lot of questions she had. But it also brought up more questions. Just what the hell was going on in this city. And what the hell was going to happen in the coming days, let alone months?

Her gaze fell on the corpse-like form of Elijah Mikaelson and felt indecision tearing through her. With everything that was happening right now, would bringing him back to his family be a good thing? Ana remembered that D had said the dagger put them in a kind of stasis, but didn't actually kill them. So would removing the dagger bring him back to life? Well there was only one way to find out, and with a deep breath Ana swept down and yanked the dagger out of his chest.

Now what? Should she just leave? Or wait and see what happens? She decided to wait. If he did wake up and D came back into the room he might kill her. Which would not be good. With a sigh she settled down on the bed to wait.

Hours passed and nothing happened. On the plus side (was it really a plus?) D hadn't come back yet. With a sigh she stood up and stretched, feeling her back starting to ache from being in the same position for too long. Of course it was at that moment that Elijah's eyes flew open and his gaze landed on her white Lantern form.

* * *

 **Explanations from Chapter One:**

 ***CC's Coffee House: This coffee shop does actually exist. I have never been to New Orleans (one day I will) so I don't know exactly where it is located in the Quarter, so author's licence goes towards its location in the story. The coffee and blueberry scone idea came from a review I had read about the Coffee House.**

 ****** ' ** _The last two men were both black'_** **: I am a historian so I'm great when it comes to conducting research. I am also an English Literature major, and because I teach English as well now I am a stickler for details and getting things right. So I spent about three hours trying to find out what the 'politically correct' term would be. Then I found a website with this question asked and a whole load of responses and there was one comment that stood out for me. What is politically correct? It's our own interpretation. As long as it isn't meant to be racist or derogatory there is no right or wrong choice of words. Basically what I'm saying is that I am not racist, I'm not trying to be racist, and I try to make my work as inoffensive to** **everyone** **as possible. If you do take offense to** **any** **terms or phrases I use, please send me a message and let me know, and I will do my best to change it.**

 **Hope that clears everything up.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So I can only apologise profusely for the week long delay in this chapter. My excuse is that I was travelling all day last Thursday and just couldn't upload anything. I could have done it on a later day but alternately decided to wait until today to publish it, to keep to publishing on Thursdays. Hopefully I will be able to publish next week as well but I cannot promise anything because I am now on holiday and have very erratic internet connection. **

**Anyhows, enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter Three

October 31st, 13:30

Looking back Ana probably would have done things differently. There were so many different decisions she could have made, and top of that list was leaving that sodden dagger where it was. Hindsight truly was a fantastic thing. Too bad it isn't around when snap decisions need to be made.

But what was done was done; she couldn't go back in time to change anything (such a shame that wasn't one of her powers), but even if she could Ana wasn't sure what she would change. In actual fact if she had to repeat the previous night, she was pretty damn sure she would do exactly the same thing and pull that dagger out.

Said dagger now lay on her office desk and she was staring at it, wondering what the hell to do with it. The thought of handing it over to the 'dead guy' hadn't occurred to her once; slightly strangely he never enquired as to its whereabouts. Not that she stayed there long enough for him to ask about it…

* * *

October 30th, 23:50

Silence lay heavy in the attic. Elijah hadn't moved since he had opened his eyes. He just lay there, staring at Ana. She hadn't wanted to be the first one to speak, but the silence was starting to get a little oppressive (she'd never been good with prolonged silences). "So you're not dead then?"

Elijah's mouth tilted ever so slightly into a grin at her question. "It depends on your definition of the word."

 _Holy hell, now that's a voice._ Not wanting to voice _that_ thought Ana merely tilted her head slightly. "Dead. No longer alive. Heart not beating, lungs not breathing. Eyes certainly not opening spontaneously."

Elijah's eyebrows rose slightly as he pulled himself slowly into a sitting position. The dark veins that had stood out starkly across his face and hands had receded upon him waking but the pale grey skin tone was still there. No one would be able to mistake him for a human in this state. "Who said I was dead to begin with?"

Ana glided back ever so slightly as he raised himself up. She'd done some research on these 'vampires' and knew all about their speed. She also failed to answer his question, something Elijah took note of as he pushed himself up and stepped out of the coffin, straightening his suit jacket. Ana snorted slightly. "You'd be better off just getting a new one."

Elijah tilted his head in agreement. "You may be right. Forgive me, where are my manners. I am Elijah Mikaelson."

Ana only just refrained from rolling her eyes. _Another one. They seem to be springing up faster than fucking rabbits._ "And who might you be?"

This time Ana didn't bother trying to hide the smirk. "Well traitorous murdering bitch has been taken so you can call me Sapphire."

"That is not a name."

Ana gestured towards her face. "Do you see this? It's a mask. It's used to conceal my identity. That means I don't want anyone to know who I am. Why then would I tell you my name? And just for the record, where I come from, that is a name."

"And where do you come from?"

She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Nu-uh. Can't be giving away all my secrets on the first meeting now can I."

Elijah grinned at that. "But you haven't told me anything yet."

"You've seen me. And you know what to call me. I think that's enough to be going on with for now don't you?"

His eyes narrowed a little and his grin dropped. "And what are you doing here?"

"Well I could ask you the same thing Mr Mikaelson. I could say that I have come here with peaceful intentions. But that would be a lie. The same lie I do believe your family has told. On rather a regular occurrence." This time it was Ana who dropped the grin. The icy white light originating from her ring grew a little and it was at all possible the temperature in the room dropped a little. "Now I haven't been here very long, blame it on a very long war. But I have been here long enough to know that this city is sick. It is very sick and it needs help. Now considering you have been left in a coffin in an attic to gather dust and cobwebs I gather you got on the wrong side of whoever is causing this sickness. You either pissed them off or you misjudged them, I don't care. That's why I helped you, because you needed it. That's what I do. I help people. I'm here to heal this city, and if you are looking at doing the same then good. If not, stay the hell out of my way, and get out of New Orleans. Because I will take you down."

Ana turned to leave the attic. She had everything she needed from there, and then some. Before she could leave however she turned slightly to look at Elijah from other her shoulder. "Oh and by the way, I know exactly what you are. Now I don't know how long you plan on hanging out in this attic but just a word of warning. Do not harm the girl who is living here. If I find out she has been hurt, I will hunt you down. And I will obliterate you." Her voice, already modified thanks to the power in her ring, dropped dangerously low into, as her brother dubbed it, her icy calm mode. It only ever came out just before someone was about to get hurt. Hurt badly.

With that as her parting shot Ana turned and flew out of the attic. She just caught the almost inaudible intake of breath and grinned, knowing she had startled the man. What a good way to end the evening…

* * *

October 31st, 13:30

Well that hadn't been entirely the end of the evening. Ana had taken care to fly in the direction of the Bayou before turning around to fly back into the Quarter from a different direction. One of her powers was the ability to cloak herself using the shadows. Slightly ironic, considering she carried what the numerous Corps called the Ring of Life and Light, _gods, could they sound any more pathetic?_ Bruce had pulled a muscle in his side from laughing so much but it meant that she was able to fly home undetected by anyone of anything in the city.

It was only when she landed lightly on her balcony that Ana suddenly realised she had left her bloody bag outside the church. _For the love of the fucking Guardians._ She really needed to stop using that curse. Muttering under her breath she took off from the balcony to return to the church. She couldn't leave her bag where it was. Even though it was out of sight now come morning anyone could come across it. And if any vampires happened to come across it…very bad news.

It didn't take too long for her to get back to the church, and just as she was diving down to the ground to get her bag she picked up two voices coming from the attic. Seemed like Elijah and D had finally met. Who knows how that would turn out. But instead of sticking around to find out Ana simply retrieved her bag and returned home. And had not left since, having spent the rest of the night sorting out all of the information she had received, and then sleeping. She hadn't woken up until eleven in the morning and that was because the sun fell on her face.

And now here she stood, staring down at the dagger that had incapacitated Elijah Mikaelson and wandering what the hell to do with it. To the untrained eye it would simply be nothing more than a silver ornament; a paperweight or maybe a letter opener. Hell, it wasn't even all that sharp. So how was it able to take down a vampire?

Ana was brought out of her musings by a sharp knock on the front door. She shoved the dagger into a draw and approached the door, a hand curled around a knife holstered in the back of her jeans. Always better to be safe than sorry. A quick glance through the peep hole had her relaxing a little as she saw Frank Belton; a man who worked as an aide to Bruce's personal assistant Jessica. He was also a driver for when Alfred wasn't available and was a part of Wayne Enterprises Security Team. He was also in on the secret, one of the handful of people (and by that she meant he was one of three people) who knew about the second lives she and Bruce led. So it was either a really good thing that he was there, or a really bad thing. With no small amount of trepidation Ana opened the door. "Mr Frank, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" She grinned at him.

Frank laughed, rolling his eyes at her words. "I come bearing gifts." He indicated a box at his feet. "It's from Alfred."

Ana's eyes widened slightly. "Wow. I knew he was a miracle worker but Alfred truly is a wizard." She opened the door wider and stepped back. "Come on in. How is Gotham?" She walked across the open-planned apartment floor to the small kitchen, reaching for the coffee pot.

"Oh it's the same as usual. Death and decay, mayhem and devastation" was Frank's reply as he picked up the box and walked into the apartment, toeing the door shut. Ana turned to him with a frown as he set the box down on the breakfast bar and he shrugged. "Okay so it's not that bad but without him there the criminals are starting to get a little bit bolder."

Ana groaned, running a hand through her hair. "This ridiculous idea of his. Just when I thought nothing would tear him away from the city he believes he needs to come up with this _team_ to defend the earth." She sighed heavily, pouring coffee into a large cup and adding cream to it before pushing it over to Frank. "Have you heard from him recently?"

Frank nodded. "Two days ago. He's in Central City right now, but getting ready to head north." He took a gulp of the hot liquid before setting the mug down. "He's got that woman with him so he's not on his own. I just hope he knows what he's doing."

"You and me both Frank. You and me both." Ana took a sip from her own mug before nodding to the box. "So what has he managed to pull out of his bag of tricks this time?"

Frank laughed. "I haven't actually seen it but Alf seemed to be rather happy with it. Said it should suit whatever this extravaganza is…not sure if I should be worried or not."

She grinned, reaching over for the box and pulling it towards her. "Well he usually has better fashion sense than the rest of us. In all honesty anything will do for tonight, I just want to make a statement."

"And what sort of shindig is this?"

"A masquerade ball. That is being hosted by a vampire."

Frank choked on his coffee. "I'm sorry. Did you just say vampire?"

Ana nodded, all traces of joking vanishing from her voice. "Yeah. Vampires run rampant in this city along with witches. Apparently there are also werewolves but I have yet to actually see any."

Frank was quiet for a minute, clearly processing this information. Ana was unsure as to his reaction, so was slightly surprised when he merely nodded and had another drink. "Well it shouldn't be too much of a shock honestly; there are beings with superpowers and aliens after all. Is it safe enough for you?" Ana snorted and he grinned. "I know, I know. You can knock me on my ass with that blasted ring of your etc. But I can remember when you were a kid alright. Forgive me for wanting to look out for you."

She nodded, a smile on her face. "I know Frank. And it is appreciated, it really is. But I am fine. In all honesty I'll be a hell of a lot safer than you; these vampires can apparently compel humans but it doesn't seem to have an effect on me, probably because of the ring."

Frank shrugged slightly. "No matter. Just hope you know what you're doing kid."

Ana rolled her eyes. "You are six years older than me you tit. You cannot call me a kid." His reply was a grin and she huffed, yanking the lid of the box off and moving the tissue aside to see the outfit Alfred had sent her. "By the way I've got something I need you to take to Alfred. He needs to run an analysis on it, do some research. He's got better access than I do; hopefully he'll be able to turn something up."

Frank nodded, finishing off his coffee and rising to put the mug in the sink. "Sure thing, what is it?"

"A knife. A very strange knife."

He shrugged. "Again, not the strangest thing." His eyes widened as she pulled the dress out of the box before whistling lowly. "Wow kid…I think I can safely say you're sure as hell gonna make a statement tonight."

Ana lay the garment on the bar and pulled out the mask, a slightly evil grin on her face. "You know what Frank; when you're right you're right."

* * *

October 31st, 20:45 pm

If Marcel had remembered anything they had taught him, it was how to throw a party. Rebekah and Klaus entered the Compound arm in arm, both acknowledging but not saying to each other that they were impressed with what he had done. By throwing the ball on Halloween the vampires were allowed a certain amount of free reign and none of the humans questioned what they saw, believing it all to be merely part of the theatrics.

Klaus flashed their invitation at the gate and the two Originals passed through the tunnel into the courtyard, caught up immediately in the crowds of vampire and human, people who had been enticed into the ball to be used to sustain Marcel's followers. Their memories would be compelled away and they would be sent on their way, with only a handful to be later declared missing as some of the vampires would lose control; it was inevitable.

They had caused a little stir as they had arrived; having been in the Quarter for a while now many of the vampires knew them by sight and were suitably wary, if not yet unfortunately afraid of them, and a small bubble of space was created around the pair. They were obviously creating a sensation at this ball, which was the point. They needed Marcel and his cohorts to be suitably distracted in order to find out once and for all where the body of their brother was being held. Klaus' plan involving his right-hand man Thierry and the little witch he was knocking up with was a part of the plan to destabilise Marcel's hold over the Quarter.

He grinned when he saw the golden flash of Camille's hair; he knew that Marcel had deliberately not invited her just in case something were to happen. His little infatuation was amusing, and served to help his cause. He had to admit to himself that she certainly was eye-catching in that white angel outfit; a contrast to the outfits most of the others were wearing. Rebekah was getting ready to leave his side to go up to Marcel, standing up on the balcony overlooking the ball, and he himself was about to go over to Camille when a hush fell over the crowd. Even the music seemed to dip a little and everyone's head turned almost automatically to the entrance. Klaus, being taller than most of the others, was able to see what had caused the commotion. What he saw caused the breath to lodge in his throat.

She was tall, slender but had the full curves of a woman. A wealth of red-blonde curls cascaded across her shoulders and down her back; several loose plaits were scattered throughout it and held in place by a multitude of silver hair clasps but the majority of her hair was held back by a black wire mask that had been woven through the red-blonde strands. Her neck and shoulders were bare save for a long strand of black pearls that were wrapped once around her slender throat and trailed down her front. She wore a black silk gown that was gathered at her hips and fell down in folds to puddle at her feet. It was held up by a black corset with intricate silver detailing. The laces at her back were also silver and heavily emphasised her full breasts and small waist. She seemed slightly familiar and yet he couldn't recognise her at all.

It was only when she moved that the spell was broken and everyone began to move again. Conversations broke out once again and the music picked back up. Klaus noted a sliver of leg showing and realised the skirt of her gown had a slit in it, allowing for greater movement. If it were possible for one of his kind to feel flushed, he was experiencing it right now. He also noticed that as she walked, just like with him and his sister, those around her were automatically moving out of the way, unconsciously creating a small bubble around her. She paused to take a glass of champagne from a server and when she lifted the glass to her lips a small shiver ran down his spine. Forgetting his plan to rile Marcel up by flaunting in front of Camille Klaus began to make his way over to the woman but someone else got there first. He could only see the back of the man, but he was brought to an abrupt halt, the breath leaving his lungs in a heavy rush. _Elijah…_

* * *

Once again Alfred had managed to convince her he truly had magic powers. She had wanted to make a statement, to stand out, and he had truly managed to rise to the occasion. The pearls had belonged to Martha's grandmother once upon a time and the gown had been made from two different outfits he had found in the attics. The mask was another heirloom but from Thomas' side of the family this time. She used a small burst of power from her ring to alter the colour of her hair for the night, and was confident it would take those who did know her a while to recognise her.

Ana had already made note of where Marcel and his main lackeys, Klaus and Rebekah were in the compound, and was well aware of the reaction to her arrival. Inside she was grinning like mad. She had seen Klaus making his way over to her when she became distracted by someone else approaching her. Her mouth dried. _Bugger_. She knew. She had bloody known that she would regret it, pulling that fucking dagger out. It was Elijah.

Despite the mask he was wearing there was no mistaking it. Elijah Mikaelson was striding towards her, holding out a hand. She tilted her head slightly in reply and left her glass with a waiter. She pressed her hand lightly into his and allowed him to lead her onto the dancefloor, drawing her towards him and resting his left hand gently against her waist. Her hand, after picking up her trailing skirt to avoid stepping on it, raised up to his elbow, and allowed him to lead her into a gentle waltz.

They didn't speak for a few minutes, simply danced, and it allowed Ana the chance to study him. He had obviously fed for the grey tinge on his skin had faded and now he looked healthy. His arm was strong beneath her hand, his grip on her hand steady and warm. The black mask highlighted his sharp, angular face, his hazel eyes gleaming richly and his dark brown hair freshly washed. The outfit he wore emphasised his muscular body to perfection and showed he was a man who knew his own power and was more than comfortable with it. _Christ above. This is going to be hard_. Eventually he was the one who broke the silence.

"I do not recall seeing you here before."

A single eyebrow arched just above the wire of Ana's mask. "Indeed. But would you be able to recognise me?"

He reacted with a grin. "Oh I'm sure I could. You are unique."

 _Ohhh you have no idea._ "And you are not? I do not think many others in this city can pull of that suit the way you have." _Hmm…really need to keep an eye on just how much alcohol is consumed tonight._

"There are many here wearing a suit like mine. But I have never seen anyone wear a dress quite like that."

Ana shrugged a shoulder slightly, a smile playing on her lips. "Well what can I say. I like to make a statement."

"And you have certainly done that. Most people here can't keep their eyes off of you."

"Oh I think it's you they're watching Mr Mikaelson."

There was a pause before he spoke again. "And how do you know my name Miss?"

 _Oops._ "The Quarter isn't a big place, but a lot of people here have very big mouths, and loose tongues." _Ohh thank god Bruce isn't around to hear me say that…the taunts would last for months._

He chuckled at her choice of words. "Indeed it is Miss. So you know my name, but I do not know yours."

She smiled warmly. "Well you could ask your brother over there, but he seems to be a little shocked that you're here."

Elijah glanced in the direction she indicated and saw both his brother and sister staring at them, disbelief written all over their faces. He turned back to his partner, grinning broadly. "I'll let them sweat a little bit longer. So if he knows your name, may I also have the pleasure?"

 _Could this man be anymore charming?_ "Well he knows me simply as Ana. In fact everyone in this city does."

"And is that the name I also know you by?" Elijah's voice was softly spoken, sending unwanted heat curling through her body. _For fuck sake girl, what is wrong with you?_

"No. My name is Anastashia. Anastashia Way.."

Before she could finish her sentence a scream of anguish echoed from the front of the compound, causing the music to ground to an abrupt halt. Everyone's heads turned to the tunnel leading to the street; Ana noting that Marcel and his men had vanished, and that Klaus was climbing the staircase to the upper levels, presumably to watch whatever was happening from a better view. Elijah had dropped her hand and had stepped away from her slightly, and no one was paying any attention to her, allowing her to slip to the back of the crowds. Once there she immediately drew the shadows around her body and slipped from the compound, summoning power from her ring to take flight and change her outfit on the go. _Here we go again._

* * *

Klaus watched from the top of the compound as the witch Katie attacked Marcel and his followers. There seemed to be no stopping her, even her lover Thierry couldn't stop her. It was all part of his plan of course. Thierry's devotion to Marcel was being severely tested now that it was the woman he loved standing against them. If everything went according to plan Marcel would lose his closest confidant and most trusted ally. Rebekah stood by his side and they both turned slightly when they felt a third presence step up beside them.

"Fancy seeing you here Elijah," was greeting to his elder sibling.

"Yes, I do believe no thanks to you brother," was his reply, earning a small smile from Klaus.

"Would you believe me if I said I was sorry?"

"Not in the slightest Niklaus. So what have you done this time?"

Klaus grinned now, causing Rebekah to roll her eyes. "Wait and see brother. I think you'll rather like the show."

The ancient siblings fell silent as Marcel finally overcame the spell Katie was throwing on them and sent her stumbling back into a brick wall with a harsh slap across the face. But before anything else could happen a blinding white light lit up the street and literally forced everyone back a step. A dull ringing was echoing in their heads and the Originals shook their heads to clear their senses. Everyone's sight came back at the same time and all were shocked to see a ghostly figure floating in the air above the street. Klaus heard a slight intake a breath coming from his right and turned to his brother with a raised eyebrow. "You know who that is Elijah?"

"We've met" was the only reply before their attention was reclaimed by the figure now descending to street level. The white light paled slowly, edging towards a spectrum of blues, allowing those present to see the cold fury on her face. For it was a woman, they all realised (Elijah of course already knowing this) and they actually felt the air around them drop a couple of degrees.

Marcel did not appear to be perturbed by this and stepped forward, his arms spread wide. In fact, a wide grin was spread across his face, Rebekah noted silently. What the bloody hell was going to happen now? "Neat trick. But it won't save your sister. All you've done is given yourself a sentence as well."

The woman's head cocked slightly to the side. "My sister?" Her voice was cold, quiet and hard. "I have no sister."

"You witches all claim to be sisters. Blood kin the like. I know your ways."

"Indeed. You must tell me more of…these ways. But another time. For they are not my ways. And I am not a witch."

Marcel snorted. He actually snorted. Elijah sighed, running a hand across his eyes. "I don't have to tell you anything sweetheart. Except to remind you of the rules. Rules you have obviously forgotten apply to your lot in this city. There is NO MAGIC ALLOWED." The last part of his speech was shouted at the woman.

The light dropped a couple of shades. "Magic." Her voice was colder. "You think I am doing magic?" She laughed. She actually laughed at him, and then laughed more at the look of disbelief on Marcel's face. "You don't know the meaning of the word if you think I'm doing magic you fool." The laughter dropped from her voice, leaving it stony and emotionless. "I am no witch. And while you may not fear them, you will learn to fear me."

Apparently Marcel hadn't taken her seriously enough because she brought her right hand up suddenly and flicked it towards him. A ball of white-blue light that resembled a hand materialised between them and struck Marcel head on, sending him flying back ten feet into the street. Everyone fell completely silent. Marcel had fallen through a wall and lay amidst the rubble slightly dazed. Everyone was staring at her. "Now listen very closely. Because I will only say this once." Her voice had dropped even more, to the point where even the Originals were feeling uneasy. "My name is Sapphire. I'm not from around here. And I am no witch, no matter what you might think. I am a Lantern, and it's my job to ensure the safety of those living here."

Her eyes flashed brightly. "You vampires have run wild for a long time. At the expense of the innocent, of those unable to defend themselves against you. Well now you have me to deal with. Whenever you go against someone who is defenceless. Whenever you try to attack someone. I will be there. And you will have to get through me. And I do not take prisoners."

She took a step back, lifting up into the air. When she was eye level with them she turned to look at the Michaelson's, paying particular attention to Klaus. "This is for all of you. Do not go against me. You will not win." Her eyes slid slightly to glance briefly at Elijah before there was another flash of light and she was gone, flying into the distance.

Silence dominated the entire street.

Until it was suddenly broken by slow, loud clapping. A shape detached itself from the shadows at the bottom of the compound. Everyone noted the striking clothing and Elijah straightened slightly. "Anastashia," he murmured softly. Klaus cocked his head in interest.

"Well done," the woman was saying as she lifted her hands up to her face. "Very entertaining. You do know how to put on a show Mr Gerard." By this point Marcel had managed to untangle himself from the wall and stood up, brushing the dust off of his clothes. "You will have to give me the name of your event's organiser; my brother will love to use them."

Marcel looked confused but ran along with it, assuming the woman had not realised everything that had just happened was not only a hundred percent real, but had shaken him rather badly. "Well that may be a little difficult Miss. I would need to know your name first."

By this point she had managed to detach the mask from her hair and lowered it from her face, discreetly letting her hair change back a little to her natural colour. "Wayne, Mr. Gerard. Anastashia Wayne."


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so so sorry it has taken me so long to update this story. I am now back from holiday but it may be a couple of weeks before I get back into my updating schedule as I have to write a lot of new material first. So thank you so much for being so patient.**

 **Wow - 13 followers. I can't believe that, thank you. I never thought that people would be interested in my work; I only started submitting these because the ideas would not get out of my head (blasted plot pandas).**

 **A reviews. I have reviews. I had never expected reviews.**

 **Brookeworm3 - I hope you have been enjoying all of the chapters as much as you did the first one.**

 **Guest (I'm sorry I don't know your name :() - I'm really glad you enjoy Ana. I know it sounds corny as hell when writers say that they base OCs on themselves, but it was only when I was writing the third chapter that I realised I have been doing it unintentionally. I too enjoy Fanfictions that have their own spin on it, for me that's what Fanfiction is all about.**

 **MissTigerLily1013 - Your review made me laugh so so much, and made my day so thank you.**

 **Cloudedstargazer - Your review nearly made me cry:** This story is amazing! Ofcourse I am favoriting it. It's easily my favorite story and it's only starting! Thanks so much for posting it. I look forward to your updates and hope that this story becomes as successful as I know it deserves :) **Thank you thank you thank you :).**

 **time-twilight - Am very happy that you like two of my stories, made me smile a lot. I'm afraid I can't answer any of your questions however, as that would give away plot details. As I said in _Shadowed Moon,_ spoilers ;). **

**On with the show**

 **xXx**

* * *

Chapter Four

It had been a spontaneous decision to attend Marcel's ball. But he had heard through Davina that his sister (and therefore Klaus) would be going and it seemed to be the perfect time to let everyone know he was back in the Quarter, Marcel included.

Speaking of Marcel, Elijah had a deeper respect for the vampire (not that he would be telling anyone that of course). It took a lot of guts to take on the witches in their own land and take one of their own away. And it took a lot of power to keep that witch away from her kin _and_ keep the rest of the witches' from holding their own place in the Quarter. Of course it helped that he had Davina on his side who was able to let him know when a witch was casting. She was one of the most powerful witches he had ever come across. Possibly more powerful than the Bennet witch when she had channelled the power of a hundred dead witches in an attempt to kill Klaus. But Elijah knew she wasn't as powerful as his mother, who had been one of the most powerful witches to have walked the earth. It was because of her magic that his family had become vampires, and through them the vampire race existed.

So the party had been a good idea. And when he had seen that woman appear in the entrance to the compound, Elijah knew that by dancing with her, the one woman who had managed to capture the attention of _everyone_ there, all would know of his return. What he hadn't reckoned on was what would happen _after_ the dance. Which was very unlike him, but the sight of her had driven all rational thought from his mind. Well, as excuses go it was a pretty reasonable one.

He had known that Klaus would be up to something at the party, but to find out his actions were an attempt to get him back from Marcel was strangely touching. Hayley may have finally started rubbing off on him. But it wasn't Klaus' actions at the party that he was contemplating the next morning, standing on the porch ringing the old plantation house they had settled in and watching the sun rise; no it was what happened immediately after the witch Katie had tried to attack the vampires.

Elijah still wasn't sure as to just how surprised he was when Sapphire appeared. As soon as he had heard about the ball and that his siblings would be attending he had known something was going to happen, but what he didn't know was how well informed she would be. He snorted slightly as he remembered her statement about being here to heal the city. But she certainly seemed to be sincere about it last night when she knocked Marcel on his ass. She could be a powerful ally, but he had a feeling it would never happen, especially with Klaus on his mission to take the Quarter back from Marcel. She was definitely a force that had to be reckoned with, as well as someone to consider in their future plans.

And then there was the mystery woman. Well, not that she was a mystery anymore. Elijah was having a hard time wrapping his head around what had happened following Sapphire's departure.

* * *

October 31st, 21:45

Silence dominated the street. Every head was turned towards the woman, Anastashia.

"Anastashia Wayne." Those two words echoed through Elijah's head. He had been pretty sure that the woman was new to the Quarter, probably new to the city, but never in a million years would he have imagined just how well known the woman would have been. He recalled what she had said to him back when they were dancing, that most people in the city knew her simply as Ana. _Including his brother_. What exactly had been happening whilst he had been…away?

Elijah glanced to his right and saw Klaus' jaw tightening slightly in irritation. He hadn't known who this woman was; she had told Elijah that she had merely introduced herself to his brother as Ana, and had deliberately left off her last name. Why? Looking back down to the street he saw that Marcel was also stunned. So he knew her as well. This ball was starting to become very interesting.

"Way…as in Bruce Wayne?" Marcel's voice cracked slightly on the name.

Elijah saw a smile form on Anastashia's face even as she rolled her eyes. Clearly this wasn't the first time she had heard that sentence. "Yes Mr Gerard. Bruce is my older brother. He would have come down here himself but…something else came up." Her voice turned a little sarcastic at the end of her sentence, and everyone read the implied meaning; Bruce Wayne was a notorious playboy. "Which is why I am here instead." She smiled brightly at Marcel.

"And why exactly are you here A…I mean, Ms Wayne? You do not have the…party reputation your brother has." Marcel was choosing his words carefully, clearly trying not to offend her.

She laughed softly. "This is a party Mr Gerard, I insist that you call me Ana." She continued to smile at him. "It is only when we are in the office that you should call me Ms Wayne."

Elijah arched an eyebrow, he couldn't help it. Before Marcel could reply however, Klaus' voice cut through the air. Elijah groaned; thankfully the rest of the street was quiet enough that even a human standing at their height would hear the conversation on the street. "And do you plan on doing much business here, _Ms Wayne_." He emphasised her name heavily, making it seem like he making a point of not knowing her full name beforehand. Never mind that it was a game he liked to play himself on others, but Niklaus hated it when his tricks were played on him.

Anastashia's head turned slowly and she lifted her eyes almost lazily up to meet Klaus', a smile still playing on her lips. Almost like she knew something they didn't. Elijah had to admit it was…irritating. "Well that depends, _Mr Mikaelson_ ," Elijah shuddered internally at the deprecating sound of her voice, "Do you have any say in the matter?" By god she was mocking him. His brother stared down at her for a long moment before allowing a small grin to curve his lips. He didn't answer her and she grinned, turning her back on him.

Elijah could have sworn his breath caught in his throat. Here was a human, a mere slip of a girl really, who had just turned her back on one of the fiercest creatures to walk the planet, who (judging from the look Niklaus was currently sporting) had managed to one-up an Original, had managed to leave the conversation the victor, and had managed to look down on his brother even though he was standing three stories above her.

He could hear soft gasps emanating from the otherwise silent street as Anastashia turned back to Marcel, rather effectively ending the small interlude with Klaus and dismissing him from the conversation. She smiled pleasantly at her confounded host. "My brother and I are both interesting in expanding Wayne Enterprises further south. He thought that New Orleans would make a good place for the southern hub, and I must say after being in this city for a few days I am starting to agree with him. Seeing as you are a man of such prominence in the Quarter, Elijah had to smile at that, _not for much longer_ , "I'm sure you will want to be kept updated in the development of our plans." She was very clever with the way she worded her sentences, putting just the right amount of emphasis to stop them sounding like questions and queries. "I am meeting with the Mayor of New Orleans tomorrow morning regarding land and development, but seeing as I'm starting to like the French Quarter more and more you are more than welcome to attend."

Elijah fought to stifle a laugh; she was acting like a queen bestowing a favour on a humble peasant. He had to admit to himself that she did look very queenly with her posture straight, her dress hugging her body in all the right ways, the way she held her wire mask so loosely at her side and her wind blowing softly in the wind. Before Marcel could say anything she had turned and began walking down the street. Pausing suddenly she turned to look over her shoulder at the dark-skinned vampire. "Until then." Her eyes drifted up and she briefly locked gazes with Elijah before smirking slightly. She turned back around and was gone.

* * *

Elijah blinked, bringing himself back to the present. He didn't think that it was possible for one of his kind to blush, yet he felt strangely overheated as he remembered the look she had given him before she left the night before. The sound of banging within the mansion brought him further out of his thoughts and he sighed heavily. Both Niklaus and Rebekah had been in foul moods ever since they had returned from the ball the previous evening. Rebekah was annoyed that she hadn't been the centre of attention (for the first time in a very long time) and instead of upstaging the other women there (especially Camille) she herself had been upstaged.

And Niklaus, well he was furious that his plans had been so casually ruined the night before. Thanks to the mysterious Sapphire Marcel still had his trusted right-hand man. Not only that, but the witch he had so cleverly manipulated into attacking Marcel was still alive, because the vampire was wary of what Sapphire might do next if he raised a hand against her. The witch had made herself scarce after Sapphire had left, aided by her lover, and had gone no doubt to the other witches to tell them about what had happened. Klaus was also pissed off for being wrong footed by Anastashia, and had not been best pleased with Elijah when they had returned home.

Not to say that he wasn't happy to see his elder brother, and had been apologetic about stabbing Elijah _and_ leaving his body in the care of Marcel. He was happy to know that Elijah was now out and about, free from Marcel, but was pissed that he had decided to wait until the ball to reveal himself. He was equally annoyed that Elijah had already encountered Sapphire and had failed to find a way to mention her to him before the ball. As Elijah then pointed out to him, "Considering you had no idea where I was at the time, and it was mere hours away from an event I knew you would make certain to attend, what else was I to do? Need I remind you I was also without my ring brother, and so was unable to come and see you during the day." This was true; Klaus had removed Elijah's daylight ring before handing his body over to Marcel, just in case if the younger vampire decided to do anything with it. Klaus had been quick to return the ring after receiving a furious look from Hayley. Something had definitely happened between the two of them; before Elijah's incapacitation they had barely been able to be in the same room together, and now Klaus was acting…well not whipped, but he certainly seemed to have a lot more respect for the pregnant werewolf.

"Good morning brother."

Ahh, speaking of said brother…Elijah didn't turn around but tilted his head slightly to Klaus would know he held his elder brother's attention.

"I was wandering where you had gone off to this morning."

"Merely enjoying the sunrise, and contemplating the events of last night brother."

He could practically feel Klaus' smirk. "Indeed? And what have you made of them?"

At this Elijah did turn his head to stare at his brother, an eyebrow raised. "And what is it to you Niklaus, what my thoughts are?"

Klaus attempted to look contrite. "We are family Elijah, and I have missed your council." Elijah continued to stare at him and Klaus eventually laughed, not looking in the slightest bit embarrassed. "Oh well, it was worth a go I guess. I want to know what your take on little Ms Wayne is."

Elijah winced softly. "You may wish you had not said that Niklaus," he replied. "Something tells me she will not take insults lightly."

Klaus snorted, unperturbed. "Whatever brother. You seemed rather taken with her last night; did you know who she was?"

Elijah sighed. "No I did not. She told me her first name and that was it. I decided to take a leaf out of your book and try something dramatic for a change."

Klaus laughed again, clapping a hand on Elijah's shoulder. "That you did." He stopped laughing after a minute, though a deprecating smile was still on his face. "I can't see that she will be too much of a problem. Who knows, maybe we can get her on our side when we topple Marcel."

"Yes and how is that coming along?" was Elijah's next question, fully aware that Klaus was still smarting after his ruined plans the previous evening. He looked over to his brother to see the smile had faded. He had propped himself against one of the stone columns and looked out over misty grassland at the back of the property.

"We still need to get rid of Thierry. Without him Marcel has less people to trust. Not only that, but there will be a place open in that inner circle of his. We can get someone in."

Elijah didn't comment on the continued use of 'we'. It was without question that, despite everything his brother had done, the countless times he had been daggered by him, Elijah had sworn to stand by his side. Always and forever. Of course this wasn't just them and Rebekah anymore; Hayley and her unborn child were also a part of this now, and a bigger reason for Elijah staying. "And if this Sapphire character turns up again?"

Klaus turned to him, a wicked grin playing on his lips. "You think I should be worried about her brother?"

Elijah shrugged. "She did make an effective point with Marcel last night. I certainly think she is someone you should consider when making your plans."

Klaus' smile now turned feral. Elijah would never admit this, but he felt a tiny sliver of unease run down his spine. "She went up against a vampire. A vampire that isn't even 200 years old yet. She'll find it to be much more difficult to go up against me I can assure you."

Elijah didn't reply to his statement, but mentally he was wandering if Klaus truly believed that, or was just putting it on. "And you truly believe that do you brother?"

Both male Originals turned to see their sister Rebekah standing in the doorway. She smiled at Elijah before turning back to Klaus. "We've never gone up against someone like this before. We don't even know what she is. And she could well have gone up against things far more powerful than us."

Klaus snorted. "Don't you worry sister. This _Sapphire_ ," he grinned, mocking the name, "won't interfere with our plans. And if she tries, we'll let her know what it truly means to go up against the Originals."

Rebekah merely rolled her eyes as Klaus walked back into the mansion before turning to Elijah. He wore a small smile on his face, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, which held a hint of exasperation. "So he's the same as ever then."

She shrugged. "He's gotten worse in the last few weeks actually. Being in the city is making him reckless; it's almost like he's forgotten he isn't in charge here anymore, that nothing has changed since we left."

Elijah shook his head slightly. He knew his brother was acting like this because he was on his home turf, somewhere that was so familiar to him he couldn't help but fall back into old habits. But this time the game was different. The stakes had changed. True they didn't have their father hunting them down anymore, but they were trying to go up against a being that had a major following within the Quarter, as well as in other parts of the city. They had to consider Hayley and the child she was carrying, the witch that was magically linked to her, and now there was the new player to consider. Players, Elijah had to remind himself. Anastashia Wayne had looked like she knew more than she was letting on the previous night, and if she truly was looking at expanding her family's company into the city it could prove to be problematic. Elijah forced his mind away from the memory of her hand entwined with his and his arm curved around her small waist to focus on the other player.

Sapphire. Elijah still wasn't sure if she could be treated as an ally or a threat. She hadn't appeared to be interested in taking over the city, either for herself or for someone else, so he doubted she would work with them in that regard. He had a feeling she would leave them alone, unless their actions threatened innocent lives. Last night after Klaus and Rebekah had gone their separate ways Elijah had done some research on Sapphire. She proved to be exceedingly reclusive, but there were pieces on the internet that linked her to more recognisable names; Superman, the Batman (ironically considering he was well known for working on his own), Flash (really?) and someone called the Green Lantern. That had caught Elijah's interest and he had vowed to conduct some further research into him. He seemed to share some traits with Sapphire. Rebekah's voice brought him back to the present. He blinked, finding her to be in the middle of a sentence.

"…like her. I think Klaus has underestimated her."

"Who?"

Rebekah sighed heavily, displeased that Elijah hadn't been listening to her. "This Sapphire person, whoever she is. I reckon she'd knock Klaus flat on his back."

"No need to sound so pleased with that thought sister," Elijah reminded her quietly, though he too was enjoying that mental image.

Rebekah snorted, knowing full well that although he didn't say it, he did agree with her. "Okay then. Well what about this other girl. The _Wayne._ " She said the name sarcastically.

Elijah raised an eyebrow at her tone. "You don't sound like you approve of her. Strange, I thought you'd want to get to know her better."

His sister scoffed and shook her head. "Why on earth would I want to do that. Do you not remember the way she spoke to our brother last night, the way she just dismissed him?"

He hid his smile. "Remember that Niklaus does often have that effect on women. But she certainly seems to be able to stand up for herself, and hold her own going on the way she spoke to Marcel."

"Trust me Elijah, she carries on that way, someone's either going to snap her neck or drain her dry by the end of the week."

With that she turned and headed back into the house, leaving Elijah alone once again on the porch, trying to determine why her words had such a strange effect on him. He forced himself not to worry. Anastashia Wayne appeared to be strong enough to hold her own; her ignorance of the supernatural communities within New Orleans would only help preserve her life if she intended to stay for a while. Her name would give many reason to pause. And Elijah decided that, along with helping to dethrone Marcel and take back his family's city, he would keep an eye on her, whether she knew it or not.

* * *

It was later that day that Ana finally returned to the Quarter. Despite having left the party early the previous night she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep that night; the events of the evening keeping her from falling properly asleep until she had given up, throwing the sheets off of her with a huff and getting out of bed. A glance at the clock told her trying to get back to sleep would be pointless, so instead she'd made herself a hot drink and curled up on her sofa, switching the television onto a random channel and turning the volume down. She had brought her briefcase with her and from it pulled out a wad of papers and a thick notepad. The papers contained the outlines, plans and proposals Wayne Enterprises had come up with in regards to setting up an office in New Orleans.

Normally someone from the Board would be doing this, but she, Bruce and Alfred had decided that it made more sense for Ana to be there – she was joint CEO, her reputation was far less stained than her brother's, and she had a far better way at dealing with people. Her methods were very subtle compared to Bruce, who tended to blunder around like a bull in a china shop. It also gave her a credible reason to be in Louisiana, and meant that she could also carry out the favour Bruce had asked of her – sorting out the problems that had arisen in the city. Ana hadn't just been analysing the supernatural events that were happening in the city since her arrival, she had also been looking at the amount of corruption that had allowed said supernatural elements to take over. The crime was up in the city and, despite the catastrophe caused by Hurricane Katrina, the defences the city had against natural disasters were severely lacking. This was bemusing to Ana, who had come from a city that was the very definition of corrupt (she was pretty sure there was a picture of Gotham next to the word corrupt in the dictionary) and yet had some of the best defences against natural disasters in the world. That could of course be contributed to Wayne Enterprises major involvements within the city. Hopefully by expanding to the south of the country and focusing on New Orleans they could be improved here as well.

It had been about 2:30 in the morning that she had started going over all of the reports. Her meeting with the mayor of New Orleans was at 10:30 and his office was not too far away from the Quarter, but on the other side from where she lived; thankfully a car sent by his office arrived at her apartment at 9:45 which gave her more than enough time to get ready. _Image is everything_. Her inner voice was starting to sound more and more like Alfred. Ana wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

The meeting went surprisingly well, Ana thought as she climbed out of the cab she had picked up outside the Mayor's Office. Mitch Landrieu was a very popular man, having been voted in as Mayor in 2010 and staying in office ever since. Unlike other city leaders there was no hint of corruption about him, and was determined to do everything he could to help the city and its inhabitants. ***** Ana had instantly liked the man and they had both gotten on extremely well. Landrieu had supported Wayne Enterprises proposals to open new offices within the city, and in time to use them as the Head Offices of the Southern Branch the company was hoping to create. She had fired off a quick text to Bruce in the cab saying it was looking very likely that a contract could be written up and signed by both the city and the company before long.

Ana had decided that because it was such a nice day she would take a slow walk back to her apartment. _First bloody time I've seen the sun in months_ , she thought to herself as she strolled down Burgundy Street. It was 13:30 and she'd decided to grab something from lunch, but wasn't sure where to go. Being the French Quarter there were numerous cafés and restaurants to choose from and she ended up sitting in the courtyard of a small seafood restaurant called Oceana Grill. Fortunately it was rather quiet and she had been able to grab a table at the back of the courtyard with her back against a smooth brick wall, able to keep an eye on the rest of the complex and everyone in it. Having decided what she wanted to eat Ana sat back in her seat with a glass of white wine at her fingertips and pulled her phone out. She would sort out all the information she had gathered at the meeting later on; right now she was more interested in the other reason why she was in the city.

She had put Marcel at the top of the list of people, _beings you idiot_ , last night, and was contemplating whether or not to add Klaus Mikaelson there as well. His brother was about half-way in the list, and their sister was at the bottom, but only because she hadn't officially met her yet. Ana had a feeling that once they had officially met each other that name would rise rather quickly. Her gaze landed once again on Elijah's name and she swallowed, suddenly feeling dry-mouthed. She'd met him three times now, okay technically once seeing as the other two times were as Sapphire and no one in the city knew she was both people, and she didn't know what to make of him. He seemed extremely…posh. Well educated, rich if his clothes were anything to go by. _Handsome_ , her brain added and Ana blinked. Well yes okay, she had to admit he was handsome, abnormally so if she were being honest with herself, although that could just be due to the fact that he was a bloody vampire. A being that killed indiscriminately, without mercy. _Who had been left to rot in a coffin_. Gah, Alfred's voice was echoing around in her brain again. Well at least it made a change to Hal's. Nonetheless her brain was right, unfortunately. He _had_ been left daggered in a coffin by his sibling, and Ana couldn't help but feel sorry for him, despite the power he had. Because he certainly had that, she'd felt how strong his body was when they had danced last night. She felt her face heat up slightly at the memory, then frowned at the reaction. What the hell? Okay so it had been an experience dancing with the man but… _oh for goodness sakes girl, pull yourself together._

She was so lost in her internal ramblings that she was unaware of the eyes that were watching her from the other side of the courtyard. It was only when a shadow fell across the table she was sitting at that she realised she had company and jumped slightly, looking up in surprise. Her mouth fell open involuntarily and she was pretty sure her face was now beetroot red. Because standing on the other side of the table, with a small grin on his face, was none other than Elijah Mikaelson.

 _Well shit._

* * *

 **I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Something about writing scenes between Klaus and Elijah just puts a smile on my face :). This chapter isn't quite as long as I wanted it to be but ultimately decided to stop it where I have as it is quite a good ending and the chapter probably would never have ended otherwise. Some of you may like that I'm sure, but I can certainly say that my fingers would not agree with you :).**

 *** I feel like I have to point out that I am not an American citizen and I do not follow American politics. Therefore anything I have mentioned about the governance of New Orleans is what I have managed to gather off of the internet, and my own interpretations. Please please please do not get upset with me if I write something you think may be offensive; it is not my intention to offend** **anyone** **with any of my writings. I apologise profusely if anyone does take offence or has an issue with what I have written.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am so sorry it has taken me so long to upload a new chapter. I hang my head in shame, with my only excuse being my time has been taken up by my fuller-than-full teaching schedule. It's been nuts.**

 **But finally here it is, what all of you have been waiting for. Thank you so much for being patient. Massive thanks to everyone who has hopped onto this story, and an equally massive thank you to all who have stuck with it; I hope this extra long chapter is enough to satisfy you until my next instalment.**

 **I would love to say you won't be waiting as long for the next update but I can't promise anything as my schedule is constantly changing, and I'm supposed to be visiting some schools around the country in the next few weeks, and possibly some potential sister schools in America next month.**

 **Read and enjoy my lovelies, and I will see you all (metaphorically of course) next time.**

* * *

Chapter Five

Elijah stared down at Anastashia, unable to conceal or stamp down the grin on his face. "Good afternoon Ms Wayne." He was amused at the shocked look on her face, and the rather delectable shade of red that was staining her cheeks. _Focus_ , he reminded himself sharply. "May I join you?" He didn't wait for a reply; instead he simply pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. A waiter appeared out of nowhere to hand him a menu, which he waved away, stating he would have the same as his lovely companion. The waiter disappeared just as quickly as he appeared, leaving Elijah with a furiously blushing Ana. He leant back in his chair and simply watched her, the small smile still on his face.

It took a while for her to speak, and she had to clear her throat and take a sip of wine before she did speak. Being a bastard, although in all honesty he was enjoying it, he cut her off before she could start speaking. "How was your meeting this morning, Ms Wayne?"

He saw the question had caught her off guard and fought the urge to laugh more. Eventually she answered, her eyes narrowing a little as if challenging him to cut her off again. "It went well, Mr. Mikaelson. And your morning?"

"Uneventful; I have been catching up with my siblings." He was going to have to try a little harder to get her to spill any information.

"You have not seen them in a while?" She sounded genuinely curious. "You all seemed rather cosy last night."

He smiled, playing with the stem of the wine glass the waiter had just set down in front of him. "I've been out of town. A business trip, which took longer than anticipated. Last night was the first time I've seen them in a few months, and it isn't very polite to the host to discuss business at a party."

"No indeed. Will you be in town for a while?"

 _She's good_ , Elijah thought to himself. He had dropped a couple of openings for her; if she asked about his 'business trip' it would only be natural for him to ask about her meeting. He and Klaus wanted to know what it had been about, and what had come of it. Klaus had gone to the Mayor's office to find out what was going on there, which left him with the mysterious Anastashia. Elijah was beginning to wonder if Klaus had the easier task.

"Yes, my business out of town has been concluded now. I can focus on my projects within the Quarter."

This garnered a raised eyebrow. "And what exactly would those projects entail?"

 _Finally_. He flashed a grin. "And why should I tell you that, Ms Wayne?"

"You were the one who sought me out. You're the one dropping all the hints. What do you want Mr Mikaelson?" Her voice was flat, but there was a teasing glint in her eye.

He sighed, almost theatrically. "Well if you insist. I was wondering how your meeting went this morning."

Ana raised another eyebrow. "Oh, were you? And why should I tell you?"

Elijah shrugged casually. "I'm interested in the development of the city, the Quarter especially. My family has long been involved with businesses here, and from what you were saying last night it sounds like something I…my family…would like to back."

Anastashia sat starting at him for a long time, causing Elijah to wonder whether she would actually reply. Just as he was about to ask if she was okay she opened her mouth, her voice soft and low.

"I'm here representing Wayne Enterprises, my family's company. Although it's mainly based in Gotham there are offices in many cities across Northern America. The second biggest office was in Metropolis, up until it was destroyed a couple of years ago, during the battle there. A few months ago, B...my brother and I decided we needed to start expanding the company further across the company, and down into the south of the country. Since then I've been travelling to the major cities in the southern states, trying to decide where to set up new offices, factories etc. New Orleans fits the bill – it's a large city with a huge demand for new industry, plenty of people are looking for new employment, and it's on the river which means there are three forms of transportation to and from the city – road, air and water. It's perfect."

Elijah was silent as he absorbed this information. He had seen how animated Anastashia had become when she was giving him this information – clearly this was a project she was really passionate about. And he couldn't say she was wrong, because she wasn't. The city _was_ crying out for new industry, for new jobs and for money to be poured into it. It made him wonder, for a second, whether the plan that his siblings and he had to wrestle control away from Marcel and declare themselves rulers of the city again was a good idea – it would benefit them naturally but how many would suffer because of it?

He was brought out of his silent musings when a white arm passed by his face. He blinked and realised it was the waiter who had returned with their food. He wasn't even aware of what he had ordered – he'd merely asked for whatever Anastashia had ordered. So he was surprised by what was in front of him. "A cheeseburger?" He sounded sceptical to his own ears.

A snort from the other side of the table had him looking up, to see her grinning at him. "What? Did you expect me to be one of those people who would only order an appetizer, or a salad?"

He considered her question before answering. "I guess I didn't know what to expect. But…a cheeseburger?"

She laughed at his facial expression. "I doubt you could call it a mere cheeseburger. According to the menu it is the deluxe cheese burger." He couldn't argue with her there; the patty was seasoned and grilled on wood if the smell was anything to go by. It was topped with a layer of pepper flaked cheddar cheese, mounds of lettuce, tomatoes and onions. The bread it was surrounded in was fresh and lightly toasted, and it was accompanied by more salad, topped with a honey salad dressing, and a small pile of fried chips.

Elijah relented. "No, I guess it is not a mere cheeseburger." He looked up at her, catching the smile on her face and grinned back at her, watching as she took a bite out of the salad before picking up his cutlery and digging in. "So how was the mayor?"

* * *

Ana couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face when he saw the plate of food that had been put in front of him. Clearly it wasn't what he had been expecting – although if she was being honest she hadn't been expecting it either, despite having read the description in the menu. She also noticed that he didn't start eating until she had – was he afraid it was going to be poisoned or something? The thought had her grinning, right up until he asked his question. Unfortunately, she had just eaten a fry and it managed to lodge itself in her throat, causing her to choke. After coughing for a couple of seconds she managed to breathe again and wiped her streaming eyes with her napkin. "Sorry, that was…deeply unattractive."

She could feel that her cheeks had heated up and was pretty sure she was blushing like crazy so had a sip of wine to try and cover them up. As she put her glass back onto the table she noticed that her companion's eyes were riveted on her face – and was that concern in his eyes? Before he could say anything, she waved a hand. "I'm fine. Sorry, what was your question?" _Stall, stall, stall_.

"I asked how your meeting with Mayor Landrieu went."

She swallowed heavily, looking down at her plate. _Christ he's interested_. This was starting to get a little difficult. _You're a bloody Wayne woman, act like one._ "It was…illuminating." She glanced back up at Elijah with a small smile on her face. "He has some really interesting ideas on how he wants the city to develop, and is keen on several of our subsidiary companies setting up offices across the city." She picked up her knife to cut her burger in half. She then picked up on half and started to eat it. "He was particularly interested in Wayne Yards and Wayne Medical being brought into the city, but I will have to talk to my brother and our board before any final decisions can be made."

She glanced at Elijah and saw he was caught up with what she was saying. There was a small smile playing on his lips and she swallowed her mouthful before calling him out on it. "What's so amusing Mr Mikaelson?"

He shrugged, the movement causing his suit jacket to shift and she couldn't help but notice his shirt straining against his chest. _Christ…FOCUS ANA!_ "It's your passion for all of this. I don't think I've ever come across someone who was so focused on their company and the benefits it could bring to a city. Especially a woman."

 _What?_ "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well, from what I've seen over the years, most women who are in your position – wealthy, beautiful, influential – tend to spend some time attending charity galas and the like to make it seem like they're doing something for their community but spend most of their time on parties, holidays etc. It's nice to see that there are some exceptions to that in society."

Ana shrugged, feeling herself flush again slightly at his choice of words. "I could never be that sort of person. If it wasn't for Thomas and Martha, and of course Bruce and Alfred, I would never be _in_ a position to help others. It's the least I can do, to help others. Plus, in all honesty, if I didn't step up and do as much work in the company as I do, it'd be in shambles. Bruce is a great man, and a fantastic brother, but a business man? Not so much." She paused, suddenly wondering if she should have said that. He _was_ a notorious playboy – a cover for his other life of course – and was always in the papers for one thing or another, but for a member of his family, and his CEO-partner to say it… "Don't tell anyone I said that. I doubt he'd be particularly happy." Actually, he'd find it hilarious. _Fecking double lives._

Elijah grinned at her. "Do not worry, my lips are sealed." He took another bite of his meal before laying down his knife and fork and leant back in his seat, picking up his wine glass. "So just how many parts of your company are there?"

Ana laughed slightly. "You make it sound like the whole thing belongs to me. There are thirty subsidiaries that fall under Wayne Industries, but there are several other companies that we have shares in. We do a lot of work with charities, hospitals and Universities within Gotham and that's something we hope we will be able to bring to other cities as well, including New Orleans." Nothing that she was saying was a lie; it was something that both she and Bruce wanted to see happen. "This city suffered a lot after Hurricane Katrina, and we want to help restore it to what it used to be…and to make it even better. The tourism industry here is fantastic, but there needs to be more to a city than just tourism." She cut herself off, noting Elijah's expression yet again and laughed slightly, tucking a stray curl behind an ear. "Sorry, I've done it again haven't I."

He grinned at her. "Don't be sorry. It's great to see just how much you want to help this city. It makes me feel glad there are others out there wanting to do that."

Ana raised an eyebrow at that comment. From what she had been able to gather, his brother seemed to be obsessed with having the power in the French Quarter, but only over the supernatural sections, and then doing nothing to help the rest of the city. She had assumed that Elijah was only there to help his brother gain that power, nothing more. Was she wrong? "And are you one of those people? Looking to help the city?"

There was the smallest pause before he answered, one that would have been missed by everyone. But she wasn't everyone. She was looking for it. And she knew exactly what it meant. "I would like to think I am. Don't get me wrong, Marcel Gerard has done some fantastic things for the Quarter. But it is only one part of the city, and you were absolutely right when you said it isn't just the tourism trade that needs to be focused on." _Liar_ , her mind screamed at her. But he sounded so sincere, her heart was having a hard time listening. _Fucking vampires. Fucking bloody Bruce Wayne._

She smiled, pushing her plate away from her slightly and leant back in her chair, mirroring his position. "Okay, so now you know how my day has been," _more or less…mainly less_ , "what did you think of the party last night?"

Elijah blinked and she stifled a grin. He had obviously been assuming that she would ask him what he had been up to so far – come on, she wasn't going to be _that_ obvious about it. She'd find out. "It was…eventful. Not one I think anyone will forget for some time." _For a number of reasons_. The thought was acknowledged by both, even though it wasn't spoken aloud.

"No, I don't think they will. It certainly was entertaining. Which reminds me, I must contact Mr Gerard, find out who his event planner is. That show at the end of the evening was fantastic. So realistic. A very original idea as well, using the folktales of witches and the supernatural elements in the Quarter as the storyline." Was she laying it on a bit too thick? "I sent a message to Bruce about it when I returned home last night. I haven't heard back from him but I'm sure it's something he would _love_ to use for one of his many soirées." _Stop talking stop talking stop talking._

A very brief look of alarm had crossed Elijah's face when she mentioned Marcel, another thing she took note of. "Yes, they certainly were…illuminating weren't they. Do you think all of it was an act?"

Ana frowned. "What do you mean?"

Elijah shrugged. "Well, that woman who appeared there last night. Called herself Sapphire. Was she a part of the act?" Ana didn't respond; she wanted to see where Elijah was going with this. "She hasn't been seen here before but…there's been sightings of her in other cities. Places like Coast City, Star City, Metropolis. _And_ Gotham."

So, he'd been doing some reading. _Crap?_ "What, now you think she's here? Why on earth would she come to New Orleans? Sure, there's problems in the city, but nothing like the other cities you've mentioned. Maybe she was just a copycat. There's plenty of those around." _Careful Ana._

Elijah shrugged. "I don't know, maybe she was just a part of the entertainment. It just seemed a little…real to me."

 _Maybe because it was._ It was difficult, these double lives. She knew it had been real, so did he. And she knew that he knew it was real, but he didn't know that she knew, or that she knew that he knew. Christ on a stick, this was giving her a headache. Before she could say anything else that would more than likely do nothing more than raise suspicion in his eyes her phone buzzed. _Saved by the bell…_ hadn't she thought that yesterday when she was talking to his brother?

Glancing at the screen she saw it was a blocked number. Which could only mean one thing. Someone was calling her other phone. _Bloody hell_. She dismissed the call quickly and looked back up at her companion. _Really god damn it_ , she'd actually been enjoying herself. The second time it had happened in the city, and on both occasions she had been with him. _Stop it!_ "I'm really sorry but I have to take this. It's my PA back in Gotham." _LIAR!_ "I've really enjoyed this though, it's been a lot of fun."

Elijah nodded, a small smile on his face, although she did note his eyes had flickered to her phone, no doubt seeing the number had been blocked. "Of course. And it was a pleasure to talk to you again Ms Wayne. Maybe we could do it sometime again."

She flashed him a grin as she picked up her bag and dropped her phone into it. "Well I think I might be able to squeeze you in sometime." She went to stand up and found he was pulling back her chair and offering her a hand. She hadn't even seen him stand up. _Vampires._ "Thank you." She put her hand in his and let him pull her up to her feet, trying desperately to ignore how warm his hand was around hers. She let go of his hand as quickly as possible and made to pull her purse out of her bag.

He stopped her by putting a hand on her arm. "I insist on paying. After all I did interrupt your meal in the first place."

She swallowed at the feeling of his hand against her arm, focusing instead on his face and making sure there was a smile on hers. "Well if you insist. But I will be paying next time." _Next time? What are you DOING?_

He nodded, dropping his hand away from her and standing back. "It's a deal. Until then, Ms Wayne."

She stepped away from him, smiling slightly. "Good day, Mr Mikaelson." She turned to leave, and didn't stop walking until she had practically fled from the restaurant, flagged down a cab and collapsed in the back seat. It was only then that she realised:

1\. What she had promised him – next time. _Shit._

2\. He'd said deal, but god did it sound like he nearly said date. _Double shit._

3\. Every time she had called him by his last name, and him vis versa, they had made it sound like they were flirting with each other. _Triple shit_.

Her phone started buzzing again in her bag and with a heavy sigh she pulled it out of her bag. This time, instead of it being a blocked number, her brother's name flashed across the screen. _Psychic_.

She answered the call and lifted the cell phone to her ear. "You are _beyond_ dead, brother dearest."

* * *

Night was finally falling. It had taken long enough, which was ironic considering the time of year. To some beings, sun-down didn't mean much, not a lot changed. To others though, it signalled a big change – hair was let down (literally in some cases), booze came out and the music was cranked up hard. People poured out onto the streets and into the various pubs and clubs, determined to make the most of the hours between dusk and dawn.

New Orleans, a party city during the city, became a riot town once the sun set. It didn't matter if there was a holiday to celebrate or not; _everyone_ went out to the parties. And this was where incidents occurred. Accidents happened, muggings and fights were a regular occurrence, and every now and then there were the reports of attacks of a sexual nature. With vampires in charge of the French Quarter those particular attacks had dropped; in fact, crime had dropped across the Quarter at a pretty staggering rate – the same couldn't be said for the rest of the city.

The number of missing persons however; that was a completely different story.

The number of missing people whose last confirmed sighting was in the French Quarter had increased over the years, and it was entirely possible that the vampire population had also increased. Then there was the body count. Nothing that would be regarded as suspicious normally – with the amount of people crammed into such small spaces and with the river running along one side of the Quarter deaths were bound to happen – but the amount of bodies that turned up were more than a little alarming. The COD's were always a little too…well, they seemed to just roll off the tongue. It wouldn't be at all surprising if there was a vampire or someone controlled by one planted in the morgue.

So, all in all, there was a seedier side to the Crescent City, and the name The City That Care Forgot seemed a tad more appropriate, even though the original meaning of that name had been referring to the easy-going and carefree nature many of the residents had adopted over the years. It was a city that was in desperate need of help. And a particularly stubborn pesticide.

Good thing that Ana was both.

Following the impromptu lunch date with Elijah Mikaelson, _DATE?!,_ and the subsequent phone call with her brother, _bloody piece of ass_ , she had returned to her apartment to throw on the most comfortable items of clothing she could find. They were a pair of faded sweatpants, a t-shirt she had once brought to work-out in, not that that plan had lasted particularly long _, cheers Hal_ , one of Bruce's old college sweatshirts and the thickest pair of socks she could find. Ana then plonked herself down onto her sofa, reached out an arm to grab a glass tumbler and the decanter of whisky that sat on a table at the end of the sofa and poured herself a much-needed drink. Only after she had drained the glass and replaced it with a small amount of liquid did she sink back into the cushions and heave out a heavy sigh.

Her mind was reeling from the conversation at lunch. She had given Elijah hopefully enough information to keep him occupied, but she felt that he had absorbed not only everything she had said, but everything she _hadn't_ said as well. His eyes had held a constant gleam of amusement, like he had known something he knew he shouldn't, specifically about her, but wouldn't say what it was. That cat caught the canary look Bruce often said she had. Now she finally knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that look. Sufficed to say, she didn't particularly enjoy it. Ana was fairly confident that he hadn't read too much into her; she had a feeling that if he found out she was also Sapphire heads would be rolling. And hers would be first in line.

 _Get a grip. You're turning into a senile old bat!_ Both enthused and amused at her mental innuendo Ana reached out for her phone, scrolling through all the data. Thank god this was a prototype from Wayne Tech – there was no way she would be able to fit this much information on a regular phone. It had all of the data that she needed for meetings regarding Wayne Enterprises, linked into her personal server back at Wayne Tower in Gotham _and_ had encrypted access to the computer system in the Batcave, allowing her to keep all of the information regarding her other reason for being in New Orleans safe from supernaturally sharp eyes. And it just so happened to have all of her music on it. _And_ room to spare. The tech guy that created this phone really needed a raise.

Before she could become too side-tracked with creating plausible reasons for that raise (because no one other than her brother really needed a phone with that much space, so why were Wayne Tech creating them?) she focused on typing up her lunchtime encounter. By saving it onto her Bat-server, _crappy assed name Bruce_ , it would be automatically uploaded onto the systems in the Cave, allowing her brother and Alfred to read them. It allowed a fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective. Which was something she really needed right now. Her phone call with Bruce had been less than helpful – they could only talk about the family business because she was in a taxi, and it had only been for a few minutes because he was still in some undisclosed location, trying to find someone whose name he wouldn't share with her. She knew he was somewhere in the north, and in a foreign country, because he had been moaning yet again about the cold and how no one could understand him (which meant he must have been around someone) and that he was with the woman. The one from France…well, she was living in France at the minute. Ana still wasn't sure what to make of Diana Prince just yet, but Bruce seemed to trust her.

Ana finished her last sentence and saved her work before turning off her phone and threw it onto the table before sinking further into the sofa. She stayed there for all of two seconds before wiggling around, pulling the blanket off of the back of the sofa and burrowing underneath it. It was stupid because Gotham was far colder than New Orleans could ever be, and she spent half her time in space for crying out loud, but she was cold! She always had been. And she never liked it. Of course, sitting around doing nothing probably didn't help, but she didn't have the energy to move right now. A night in sounded like a figurative step in the right direction.

A chorus of screams suddenly split the air. Not the screams of people startled by a prank, or in response to someone they had seen. But screams of fear, terror even. Screams of people in mortal danger.

"Sometimes," Ana grumbled to herself as she forced herself to her feet, the ring on her hand already pulsing with energy, "I should not be allowed near certain phrases."

* * *

It was inevitable that fights would break out on the streets and in the bars. It would be hard for them not to, with the amount of people crowded into such a small space. And occasionally, these fights would escalate into events far more dangerous. This time around was no different. Except for one thing. Fire was involved. In an old bar. With a lot of alcohol. The building never stood a chance.

Everything was lit up by flames in seconds and people were screaming in terror as they tried to force their way out onto the street. It didn't help that the street itself was already packed, with a parade winding its way down the tarmac. Chaos quickly took hold, and there was no way the fire service would be able to get anywhere close to the building to try and save it, or the people that were still inside. There were a few vampires close by, some were even on the street, and those in the surrounding area could hear everything that was going on, but none of them were making a move to help. It would only put themselves at risk, either from the fire or by the humans seeing them. So, the people who were still stuck inside because of the inferno that had blocked the door were bound to perish, with countless being outside unable to do anything but watch. Watch as it started spreading, from the bar it started in to the buildings on either side.

Which meant there was a sizable amount of people that suddenly became aware of another light speeding _towards_ the raging fire from the south of the city. A light that, as it grew closer, proved to be brighter than the flames. Pure white, almost painful to look at, the vampires realised almost instantly what it was. Even if they hadn't been at the festivities the night before, gossip travelled fast in the supernatural community, so they all knew, not what…who it was. Without a pause, or even slowing down, the ball of light, because that was all the humans could see, dove down to the street and flew through the wall at ground level. There were several loud crashes and for a brief second the fire seemed to grow even more wild, when something happened. A pale…curtain? appeared, pushing out from the walls of the building. It expanded, encompassing the other buildings that were also on fire, but pushing the crowds of people slowly back at the same time.

As it came out of the top of the building those with a clear line of sight could see the curtain was actually mimicking a wall, and it was curving over the top of the building to form a dome, trapping the fire and forcing it to stop spreading. As that happened the people on the streets realised they were no longer in danger from being burnt and all seemed to stop their mindless stampeding. Instead all turned to watch, fascinated almost by what they were seeing. They all saw, and most of them marvelled at the impossibility of it, the sphere suddenly squeeze in on itself. It was difficult to see through the light, but some could actually see the flames…retreating? Being smothered? It was almost like fire had been deprived of oxygen. It was obvious when the last of the flames had been extinguished because the sphere vanished, like it had never been there.

There was a second of pure silence; no one on the street was breathing, when out of the buildings poured…people. The people who had been trapped by the fire were stumbling out into the street, coughing from the smoke and several suffering from burns. But they were alive! It was only at that point the emergency services finally managed to break through the crowds and more chaos erupted; treating the injured and making sure no more injuries were caused by the people still stuck on the streets. Despite all this, everyone paused momentarily as a familiar white light rose from the top of the destroyed building. This time there was a hesitation, the light dimmed enough for all around to see the outline of a person before the light grew brighter again and rose into the air before streaking away from the scene, riding on a wave of cheers and applause.

* * *

The ball of light didn't stop until it reached the spires of St Louis' Cathedral. Only then did it finally slow down before halting completely; the sphere diminishing until the only thing that could be seen was a pale white figure crouched below the shutters on the centre spire. Well they would, if they were looking. But as per usual, humans were blind to what was right in front of them. Which was probably why the supernatural community had managed to create such a foothold in the world.

Sapphire sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair. She hadn't been intending on using her powers much, especially for situations that were nothing to do with the supernatural beings, but it went against her entire nature to ignore people in danger. So, the second she had heard the screams she didn't think, didn't even hesitate. By the time she had made it to the balcony ringing her apartment Ana had melted away, and Sapphire stood in her place. She rose into the air, making sure she would not be spotted by any passers-by before flying in a circular route to the scene. Anything to keep the more observant from realising where she was actually coming from.

She didn't need the pulses of the ring to nudge her in the right direction – the screams of terror combined with the light of the flames made it pretty obvious where the incident was, nor what it was either. Even from a distance she could see the crowds of people, not the mention how out of control the fire already was. She was also able to hear the screams of people still trapped within the building. This left her with a dilemma; the fire department were never going to get there in time. She would be able to stop the fire from spreading, and be able to shield the people that were inside the fire, but if there were a lot of people still in there and spread out, which she suspected they were, she would be stretched to keep all of the shields up for long. She needed a way to put the fire out quickly once she had contained it. She could block off the oxygen feeding it, but would need to draw out the oxygen that was still left inside the shield she could create. How…

Sapphire veered off course and put on a burst of speed, diving down and smashing through a stained-glass window to land with a small bump on a hard-wooden floor, startling the young girl who was curled up on the massive bed. "S-Sapphire?"

The white-clad woman turned to look at the teenager. "D, I need your help? You don't happen to have a spell to remove oxygen from a contained area in your witchy repertoire, do you?"

To her credit, D only hesitated for a couple of seconds before jumping off of the bed and running over to a desk that was practically groaning under the weight of old books. Any other time Ana would have been drooling over the sight of all the books, but now was not the time and she had to stay focused. She noted that D hadn't asked any questions; she had obviously recognised the urgency in Sapphire's tone.

"Got it." In record time D had spun around, looking down at an open book in her hands. She glanced up at her visitor. "When do you want me to start?"

Now Sapphire grinned, and the younger girl had to fight against a shiver. "Just watch from the window. You'll know when."

With that as her parting shot she rose once more into the air and shot out of the church, taking care to exit from the same window she had already destroyed rather than making any more damage. Within seconds she was at the scene of the fire, noting that it had grown in the minute she had been with B and was now spreading to the neighbouring buildings. Without missing a stride Sapphire dove down again, this time aiming for what had once been the front door to the bar, the point of origin for the fire. She flew straight into the middle of the building, dodging flaming debris and people who were stumbling around blindly, choking of the smoke. It took her seconds to locate every person who was still trapped in the building and threw a tight shield around them, forcing them down to the ground into balls, leaving them with just enough oxygen to prevent them from starving for air.

Once she was certain she had protected everyone in the building Sapphire turned her attention to her next task – the fire. Marshalling her thoughts, keeping one part of her mind focused on maintaining the shields around the people, she threw her strength behind the power in her ring and concentrated on only one thing – a wall that would ring around the edge of the fire, that would prevent the fire from spreading any further. The wall expanded outward, and she made sure to include in her intentions for it to gently push the crowds of people back. There really didn't need to be any more casualties.

When she knew the fire had been stopped from spreading outwards she focused on the height of the walls, building them taller before curving them inwards to create a dome. Now no more oxygen could enter and feed the flames. Now came the risky part, and Sapphire was really hoping D would know now was the time to be doing that spell. Because no matter how much she concentrated, no matter her strength or the power that was stored in the ring, it was not infinite. All it needed was for her concentration or her power to waver for a second, and everything would fall apart. For half a second a wild thought crossed her mind – the gas mains. But she banished that thought before it could fully formulate. _Focus._ As soon as she forced her mind back on track she saw a flicker in the flames – they had reduced slightly in size.

 _Way to go D!_ Concentrating firmly on what she wanted, Sapphire started pulling the sphere in on itself, slowly so no cracks could appear and bring more oxygen into the dome. It was slow going because a part of her mind  had to concentrate on maintaining the shields around the people in the building with her. She didn't need one around herself thankfully; the rings power protected her. Eventually the flames died away and Sapphire pulled the dome closer into the buildings, waiting a few minutes to make sure nothing would spontaneously combust the second she dropped the shield. She did so slowly; rather than letting the whole thing drop at once which could cause the fire to start once again she pulled it back towards herself, a little at a time, re-introducing what had once been burning to the oxygen-rich air again. Nothing caught fire and she finally dropped the dome when it was but a few feet away from her body. Before dropping the remaining shields that were still in place she checked to make sure the buildings weren't about to collapse in on themselves. It would be typical that she managed to save them all from a fiery death only to be crushed to death a few minutes later by a collapsing building.

When she was satisfied nothing else was going to happen, Sapphire dropped the shields. The room was instantly full of people coughing and choking, scrambling for the exits and aid. Knowing she was no longer needed Sapphire took to the air, rising up to the roof of the building. She had been intending on flying off straight away, no hanging around, but something caught her eye as she emerged into the night sky. Vampires. There were bloody vampires in the crowds watching the buildings burn. She hovered at the top of the building, locking eyes with two of the beings who had been at the party last night, shock running through her. Instead of doing something potentially drastic Sapphire shot into the sky, away from the crowds of people who were…cheering?

Which was how she ended up sitting on the roof of the cathedral in the French Quarter, tucked into the shadows and watching the world go by. Her mind was on overdrive. She couldn't deny that it felt good to be helping other's again; for a long time she had been taking beings down rather than helping, and it was a nice change. But god damn it the second she saw those vampires in the crowds her mind just flashed red. Not because they were in such a large crowd, surrounded by humans who had no idea they were standing next to beings who could end their lives in a second, because she could too, if she so wished. No, she was outraged that they had just stood there and watched the building burn, knowing full well there were people trapped inside. She knew they had super advanced hearing thanks to her research, so there was no way they couldn't hear the screams and cries for help. But they did nothing!

Sapphire knew she was getting more and more wound up about this because her outfit was taking on a slight bluish tone to its edges, whilst the shimmering light that always seemed to surround her in this form had become, whilst still white, colder, harsher. Just like the stone she shared a name with. Dark eyes flashed beneath the mask and suddenly Sapphire was back in the sky, flying through the sky with one destination in mind.

She needed to pay a certain leader a visit. One she was certain he wouldn't enjoy. Or forget.

But in her anger, she hadn't noticed the set of eyes watching her from within the shadows, nor the figure that followed her silently across the rooftops of New Orleans.


	6. Chapter 6

**There really are no excuses. Work, work and more work makes for writing fanfiction very difficult. But it is finally here. I've been finding it difficult to stick to cannon (already difficult to do when combining two different world together) so if some characters do not always match up to what you know I do apologise. Hope you enjoy it :).**

* * *

Chapter Six

Marcel wasn't an idiot. He knew something was going on, something happening in the city. But he didn't know what. And it was starting to piss him off. The arrival of the Mikaelsons, just as he started having more and more issues with the witches, was one thing. He knew that they had a secret, hell they were practically the epitome of secrets, but whatever this one was, it was big. Then there was the issue of how Elijah had managed to turn up at the party last night, when he should have been lying desiccated in a coffin with Davina. He'd gone over to the church as quickly as possible to find her curled up in bed, asleep. The coffin lay empty, but it didn't look like anything had happened. Marcel had left before he could wake Davina and spent part of the day trying to work out how the eldest Mikaelson could have left the attic, but was coming up short.

Nor were they his only problem. His contact in the Mayor's office had kept him abreast of Landrieu's meeting with the Wayne girl, a meeting he had been unable to attend. It had taken a long time to ensure the position the vampires were in today; influencing the police and city officials, bribing the right people and either compelling or terrorizing the rest. Vampires held prominence in the Quarter, and now it was being threatened by a girl from Gotham. Of he knew she was much more than that; Anastashia Wayne was a part of one of the most influential companies in America, which was why she was such a problem. Marcel currently had major influence over the majority of the industry in the Quarter, and now Wayne was moving in on his territory. Granted, she could do a lot for the city, but she was a complication, someone who would be difficult to control. Controlled she would have to be though, if she was going to remain in the city. It would have to be subtle.

And then there was the final problem. Sapphire. That was what had been occupying most of Marcel's fay – finding out everything he could. And he didn't like what he had found. She had been around for a few years now, and had been seen in Star City, Coast City, Detroit, New York, Gotham and Washington. There were reports of sightings in other countries around the world and there were often large gaps between appearances. But she was usually around when something big was going down. Except for Metropolis. She hadn't been seen during the emergence of the 'Superman', nor had she been around during the battle that had claimed his life.

Marcel rolled his shoulders as he stepped out onto the balcony ringing the courtyard, his back still slightly protesting the action. No one had managed to best him in a fight in a hundred years, yet she had flicked him aside like he was nothing. She had power, more than any of the witches he had met. Possibly more than Davina, and it made him wary. He wanted to know what she was doing in the Quarter; according to his research she hadn't become tangled up with any supernatural circles before (nor had any of the other costumed 'heroes' from what he could gather). So, the two questions he had were these; how did she find out about the supernatural communities, and what the hell did she want in the Quarter? And come to think of it, what she in any way connected to the re-emergence of the Mikaelsons and the sudden appearance of Anastashia Wayne?

He heaved a sigh and cast his eyes down to the ground floor, seeing Thierry and Diego heading out of the Abattoir. Another complication. A rousting was meant to instil fear, no one was meant to die. And yet one of the nightwalkers had tried to do exactly that, and had then been killed by Thierry. An action that went against Marcel's laws; Thierry had to be punished. His most trusted friend, his right-hand man. How the hell had this happened?

 _Klaus?_ Marcel didn't want to believe that thought, but he knew his Sire well. Knew that he couldn't trust him. No one could.

The self-proclaimed King of New Orleans was so caught up in his thoughts (having sent anyone else away earlier so he could attempt to concentrate on his work) that there was no warning before he was suddenly thrown over the railing to the stone courtyard. After hitting the floor (and leaving a sizeable crack in the cement he might add) it took him a minute to regain his feet, and when he finally did he looked up, wishing immediately he hadn't.

Because above him, floating about 10 feet off the ground, with an absolutely furious expression on her face, was Sapphire. _Fucking fantastic_.

* * *

The flight over had not helped her mood. If anything, it had made her even more tetchy, wanting nothing more than to beat Marcel to a pulp and then leave him out to dry. She couldn't do that though; right now, he was too influential in the Quarter. She was going to have to be far subtler at taking him down.

Right now though, she was feeling anything but subtle. And it gave her no small amount of pleasure to see the vampire on the floor, along with the pretty impressive crack running through the courtyard.

Sapphire watched as he regained his feet, a mixture of anger, shock, confusion (and the tiniest bit of fear, though he hid that well) crossing his face. Eventually he managed to school his expression into one of neutrality and inclined his head towards her. "And what can I do for you this evening?"

She didn't even try to keep the anger off of her face, but did have to work a little to hide the small wash of amusement at his reaction to her presence. "How aware are you of what takes place within this city?"

The vampire was caught slightly off guard, indicated by his raised eyebrow. "If something happens in the Quarter, I know about it."

"What about outside the Quarter? There is more to New Orleans than just this little section."

"Of course I hear about it, but it is not my concern if something happens outside the Quarter. Every section has its own leaders."

Sapphire's head tilted slightly. "And so, if something happens in _your_ section, you would be responsible for dealing with it?"

"Yes." The word was drawn out and now Marcel was frowning. "What's with all the questions?"

"Who are the other leaders in the Quarter?"

He scoffed. "What other leaders? I'm the only one here. I'm in charge of the Quarter." He strolled over to a chair and sat down, leaning back and tapping his hand against the armrest. "So whatever your problem is, you take it up with me." Which probably wasn't the smartest think to say, when Marcel thought back on it. He watched as the stranger dropped slowly to the ground, though he noticed her feet never actually contacted the floor. "So, what is your problem?"

There was the faintest hint of a smile on her face. "About half an hour ago there was an incident on Chartres Street. A building caught fire and about a dozen people were trapped inside. Because of the crowds on the streets, the emergency services were not able to reach the building."

Marcel shrugged. He actually shrugged. "And?"

Sapphire floated closer to him. " _Fortunately_ for the people trapped inside, I was able to get there in time to save them."

He started clapping slowly, a mocking smirk plastered on his face. "And I suppose you want a medal or something now, for saving a handful of humans."

The light surrounding Sapphire dimmed suddenly, and she seemed to withdraw into herself slightly. "What I want?" Her voice was soft; it should have been a warning. "What I want, is for those who have the abilities to help others do so."

"I'm afraid I'm not following your meaning sweetheart."

 _Patronizing bastard_. Ana's voice rung through her mind, and Sapphire had to clamp down on that. Now was not the time. "There were five vampires in the crowd outside the burning building. Five vampires who could hear the screams of those trapped inside, hear them begging for help and choking on death. Five beings who would have easily saved the lives of _everyone_ in that building but chose to do nothing." The light, which had become more muted compared to when she had first arrived, flared up with a sudden flare, causing Marcel to throw up a hand to shield his eyes. When she spoke again her voice was so cold he could have sworn frost was starting for form. "Twelve humans would have died if I had not been there, because your vampires did nothing. Why? Why did they do nothing?"

Marcel stood up, his hand falling away from his face as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Because we do not expose ourselves. Especially for a group of humans."

He really couldn't have said anything worse than that. Sapphire blinked, and it was the only warning he had. Marcel used his speed to move aside when she surged towards him, only realising it was a feint when something slammed into him from behind. He staggered forward, taken off guard because he hadn't sensed anyone behind him, but when he span around no one was there. He turned back to face Sapphire and took a step towards her, only to find he was being held in place. He looked down at himself and blinked in shock. White luminescent chains were wrapped around his legs and torso, binding his arms to his sides. He strained against them, shocked to find he couldn't break free, that his supernatural strength couldn't even bend the links. He raised his head to glare at Sapphire, the black veins rising around his eyes as he snarled at her.

She simply raised an eyebrow and the chains tightened around his chest. "Not very nice is it, being helpless." She lifted slightly further from the ground and Marcel's eyes widened slightly when he felt his feet also leave the earth, leaving him dangling in the air.

The vampire snarled again. "What the hell do you want." It wasn't a question.

Sapphire's voice was flat, but her eyes were blazing pinpricks of ice-blue fire underneath her mask. "I want you to start living up to your title. You call yourself a king; that gives you certain obligations. If you won't allow anyone else the mantle of leadership that means you are responsible for _every_ living being in the Quarter. If you feel you cannot do that you have two options: either you find someone who _can_ do that to replace you, or you start working with the different communities rather than exploiting and terrorizing everyone who isn't a vampire."

Marcel continued to glare at her. "And if I don't?"

"You witnessed a glimpse of my powers last night, and again just now. You have no idea of just how powerful I am, or what I can do. You don't even know where I come from. I however know a great deal about you. If I wanted to, I could end you right now, and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop me."

"So why don't you?" The sneer was still in place, but a hint of wariness was also evident in his eyes. He wasn't trying to bluster his way out of this, Sapphire noticed. He was listening to her.

"Because I believe you could do a lot of good here in the Quarter. You just need to stop your ego getting in the way." Sapphire lost the light manic gleam in her eyes. "You have managed to unite all of the vampires, but you have subjugated the witches and all but exterminated the werewolves – yes I know about them. As for the humans, you have no respect for them at all. You are not a king Marcel, you are a dictator. Do you know what happens to dictators? I'm what happens. That is not something you want."

Slowly she lowered Marcel back to the ground, but didn't yet get rid of the chains. "You have the chance to turn the French Quarter, hell this entire city into a haven. A unity of both supernatural and human beings. _That_ is why I am here. There is something coming, Marcel Gerard, something that is bigger than you and your petty power plays. Only by working with each other do we stand a chance of beating it. But that will not happen if you continue to terrorize those you consider less than you. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause before Marcel eventually nodded. It was a slow, potentially reluctant nod, but Sapphire knew her message been understood. Without another word she started to rise up into the air. "Wait." The word was spat out and ended with a growl. She turned her head to look down at him, and eyebrow raised. He sighed heavily, obviously pissed that he had to ask for help. "The chains."

Sapphire grinned, she couldn't help it. "Consider this … retaliation. A reminder if you like, of why you shouldn't piss me off. The chains will disappear in a few hours, giving you plenty of time to come up with ideas of what to say to your followers about your new alliances, your new directions. If you'd prefer," she added when he growled at her again, "I can also leave you floating in the air about Bourbon Street. At least here you get some privacy, time along with your thoughts." Her grin stretched into an all-out smirk when he sighed again and shook his head. The smirk was a slightly unsettling look on her face. "I'm glad we understand one another Marcel Gerard." With that she turned and shot off into the sky, leaving behind a fuming vampire locked up in chains made entirely from the combined energies of Life, Will and Hope. He was going to be stuck for hours.

* * *

 _So much for a quiet night in_ , Ana thought with a sigh when she eventually touched back down onto the rooftop of St Louis' Cathedral. Six hours had passed since Sapphire's impromptu meeting with Marcel and in that time, she had thwarted two burglaries, three muggings and one lame attempt at a car-jacking. There were a few street brawls she had also broken up, and had fallen on the police radar. Because of the fucking car-jacking. _Well, at least I know the police bloody well exists here now_ , she grumbled to herself as she sank down into a crouch, watching the people on the street below.

The good thing about her being out this night was that more people were aware of her, more had seen her, and word was going to start spreading soon enough. It had gone 2 in the morning and she was absolutely exhausted. Enough was enough for tonight. Sapphire glanced around one last time to make sure no one was watching so she would be able to go home. She was just about to step off of the roof when something caught her eye and she froze. Staring up at the church, looking directly at her, was Elijah fucking Mikaelson.

 _Fucking son of a fucking fluckity bitch._

* * *

Elijah watched as the light on top of the cathedral flared and dimmed, flickering softly. He had been following her all night, ever since he had seen her at the burning building. He witnessed her 'conversation' with Marcel, forcing himself to stay silent and not burst out laughing. Then he watched as she spent hour after hour going around the Quarter, around the _city_ , helping people. Saving people. For nothing in return. It had been a while since he had seen that.

He noticed that the light had died away completely of the church. He had seen her look directly at him, so she knew he was there. He wanted to talk to her again, after hearing what she had said to Marcel; she had mentioned something was coming. He shifted again and took a step forward just as a flash suddenly lit up the church. With a curse he sped to the top of the building … to find absolutely nothing. There was no one around, which made no sense because he hadn't seen her fly off. Elijah sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, walking over to the edge of the roof and looked out over the city.

Despite the late, or rather early hour depending on the point of view, there were still plenty of people out and about. Many were talking about the fire and several were discussing Sapphire, not that they knew who she was yet. He was going to have to re-join those crowds at some point, but really didn't feel like it. until he heard it. A soft curse, quiet compared to the rest of the city. He glanced over at Jackson Square and saw her. _Anastashia._ Elijah swallowed, then frowned, confused by his reaction. Why the hell was he nervous? He watched as she crossed the courtyard, her head bent down and her entire focus on her hand. Her phone, he corrected himself the second he focused on her hands. Listening to her mumblings he gathered she was angry, either at the phone or whoever she was dealing with. Possibly both. What the hell was she doing out at 2 in the morning? And…he swallowed again; her wardrobe wasn't offering much in the way of protection from the early-morning November temperatures.

Exhaling heavily he headed over to the side of the cathedral before dropping silently to the ground. He then sped over to the square before stopping in the shadows of a nearby tree and straightened his coat and ran his hands through his hair, _if_ _anyone_ _caught him right now he would not hesitate to commit cold-blooded murder_ , and stepped around the tree. The first thing he noticed was that she was walking faster than he had previously thought, and they collided just as he stepped out of the shadows. Elijah heard a soft exclamation of surprise from her as they hit each other, and she instantly started falling back – only to stop when Elijah's hands found purchase on her shoulders to stop her descent. He looked down at her, grinning. "Good evening."

Anastashia's head snapped up and she squinted slightly. He knew when she recognised him because her cheeks coloured with a rush of blood and she gasped again. "M-Mr Mikaelson." She straightened up, eyes wide and evidently hyper-aware of where his hands were resting. "W-what are you doing here?" Her voice cracked slightly, and she swallowed, fidgeting under his grasp.

Elijah took pity on her and let his hands fall to his sides, smiling still despite himself. "Here on the planet, in America, or in front of you?"

Ana raised an eyebrow at that, taking a small but decisive step away from him. "Cute." She flinched slightly when he grabbed her arm again, an involuntary movement, but quickly realised he was preventing her from stepping onto her bag, which had fallen to the floor. She watched as he knelt down to pick up her belongings, her eyebrows raising higher. "Why are you wandering the streets of New Orleans, at 2 in the morning?"

He continued to smile as he straightened up slowly, her bag dangling from his fingers. "It's a good time to think. And what about you? Not still working, are you?" He watched as she took her bag from him and slipped her phone inside it, shaking her head.

"No, just attempting to tie up a loose end." He noted that she sounded a little exasperated, but decided not to comment.

"Are you on your way home? You seem to be heading away from most of the parties."

Ana nodded. "Yes. It's been a long day and tomorrow looks like it's going to be just as long."

"In that case," he straightened his coat, more out of habit than anything else, "would you allow me to escort you home?"

She raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a smile. "And just why would I allow such a thing?"

Elijah smirked as he stared down at her. "Because anything less would be an insult to my honour. How could I let a defenceless young woman walk the streets unaccompanied in the early hours of the morning? Anything could happen."

Ana tilted her head back and laughed, her eyes twinkling. She gently grasped his arm with a hand. "By all means then, Mr Mikaelson," she said with a teasing note in her voice. "I wouldn't want anyone thinking you're not a gentleman now. That would be most improper."

They began to walk, heading slowly out of the square towards St Anne's Street. "So where do you live then, Ms Wayne? I can hardly walk you home if I don't know where we are going."

She smiled softly. "I have an apartment over on Burgundy Street. It's close to the intersection with Governor Nicholls Street." Elijah nodded, turned them gently to the left and they started to walk up the street. "So why are _you_ out at this time of night, or rather morning, Mr Mikaelson? I hardly believe you've just come from a party dressed as you are."

"Please, just call me Elijah. Every time you call me Mr Mikaelson I think you're talking to my brother."

Ana laughed again, giving a theatrical shudder at his words. "Very well, Elijah it is. So, what have you been up to?"

She was being persistent, reminding Elijah a little of himself during their lunch together earlier. A glance at her, seeing the small grin in place, had him realising she was doing it on purpose. "I've not long finished visiting a friend who lives near here." Which was sort of true; he had been visiting several witches in the Quarter who he had been persuading to support his family. "Then I've been wandering the streets. There is something very relaxing about the Quarter, despite the amount of people who tend to fill it."

Anastashia nodded. "Indeed. I've always found it much better to walk through cities at night rather than the day."

Elijah looked down at her, an eyebrow cocked. "Please don't tell me you walk the streets of Gotham at night. It may not be near here, but everyone has heard horror tales of Gotham City."

She laughed again, shaking her head. "No, of course I don't go for walks at night there. It may be my home, but I have more sense than that. Though it has gotten better in recent years; crime is dropping as is the corruption across the city. No, I used to wander the streets of Coast City, San Francisco, Seattle; many of the European cities I visited."

"You've certainly travelled a lot."

Ana nodded. "Part of it was to see the world. But a lot of it was to visit various offices and factories belonging to the family company. One of us had to do it, and it may as well have been me."

Elijah nodded, pausing to let a car pass at an intersection before they carried on walking. "Your brother never went with you?"

She shook her head, smiling slightly. "No. Bless him, he has turned around a lot recently and become more invested in the company, but he prefers to stay in Gotham these days. One of us needs to stay there seeing as the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises is based there, and I've always been more of a wanderer than him."

"I see. At least you can rely on each other."

Ana frowned at his tone and tilted her head slightly to look up at him. "You sound as though you don't have that ability."

It was Elijah's turn to shake his head. "We…let's just say we haven't had the best relationship in recent years. Hopefully we're on the road to rectify that. Though dealing with my brother is a full-time job in itself."

Ana laughed softly. "I noticed that last night. He certainly seems to be a handful."

"You have no idea," Elijah grumbled, more to himself than in reply.

"Maybe we should compare notes. No one will ever have any idea the lengths I had to go to in order to get Bruce back on track." She didn't sound like she was joking.

Elijah had to fight back a grin. "Maybe we should. You might know something I don't." Not likely, considering he had a thousand years on her, but the gesture was appreciated all the same.

They had passed St Anne's Church and were approaching the intersection with Dauphine Street when Elijah's hearing picked up the sounds of a large body of people celebrating. It wasn't much longer before he could see it; a party which had spilled out onto the street, making it potentially difficult for them to pass. "It looks like we're going to have to make a detour. Unless you're prepared to be swept up in all that." He nodded towards the party and Ana could see several other people who were attempting to pass by be swallowed up by the party-goers.

"I'd rather not. Unless you want to." She grinned up at him, almost as if she already knew what his answer was going to be.

"Not particularly." She laughed at his tone as they turned to head down Dauphine Street instead. "Just let me know when we need to turn."

Ana nodded. "Sure thing. So…"

Elijah cut her off. "No, my turn. What are _you_ doing out here at this time? And you can't say just wandering the streets, not very original."

She grinned at his choice of words. "Very funny." The smile dropped, and she sighed softly, glancing down. "No, I was out because of the fire."

Elijah frowned at that. "Yes, news travels fast in the Quarter. You weren't caught up in it, were you?"

Ana shook her head. "No, I was in a meeting with some potential investors when I heard about it. More notably, about the fact that the emergency services were unable to get there in time. It's appalling. So many people could have died, especially if it was as bad as everyone is saying."

Elijah could only shrug. "That's the Crescent City for you. There are always so many people in the streets to begin with that whenever something breaks out its impossible to get anywhere."

Ana nodded. "Yes, hopefully it's something that is going to be changed soon."

Elijah looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh? And what makes you say that?"

She sent him a small grin and tapped the side of her nose with her free hand. "Spoilers Elijah. Just you wait and see."

He grinned back at her. "Why Ms Wayne, I do believe you are trying to get me to stick around."

She laughed. "Of course. This place would be dull without you. And please, if I am calling you Elijah then I insist you use my first name too."

"Very well, Anastashia."

She shivered, and he could practically hear her mentally screaming to pass it off as the cold. _If only_ ; he groaned at his own internal voice, which was sounding more and more like a combination of his brother and sister.

They carried on walking down Dauphine Street, Ana informing him that it was just as easy to walk to Governor Nicholls Street as they would hardly have to double back on themselves, and continued to chat quietly to each other. Neither were aware of the time passing, nor were they talking of anything of particular importance, they were simply enjoying each other's company. Elijah found that he could talk about the frustrations he had with his siblings (well, some of them anyway) and would find those feelings were shared by Ana. She told him about a couple of her brother's exploits from when they were younger, leaving him with the idea of wanting to meet the famous Bruce Wayne.

So, it was inevitably typical that barely a block from their destination, according to Ana, that it all went to hell. Quite literally. He caught something flying at them in his peripheral vision and acted on pure instinct; locking an arm around Ana's waist he flung the pair of them across the street with his preternatural speed, forcing her head down at the same time to avoid the … car? They tumbled to the ground just as the vehicle hit the wall they had been standing in front of and shattered glass everywhere. Elijah turned his head and saw a form darted forward and with a soft, almost inaudible growl he leapt forward, intent on finding out just what was trying to attack him this time.

Or he would have, if whatever it was blasted him back into the wreckage of the car. He hit hard and slid down to the tarmac with a groan. Whatever the hell this was, it was tough. The unmistakable crunch of glass had him looking up to see … Elijah blinked. Maybe he'd hit his head harder than he realised. Because what was in front of him was impossible. Belatedly he realised he too was impossible, his brother even more so, but still.

Giant spiders just did not exist. Not outside Harry Potter anyway.

He realised the creature, _it cannot really be a spider, because spiders are not that fucking big_ , was toying with him. Preparing to strike. He felt behind him for something to throw at the bug and found himself trying to think of the best way to squash it when a boot, a freaking boot, fell out of the sky and landed on the creature. And by boot, he meant a shoe the size of a bloody garbage truck. And it was glowing. As it lifted up he could see the sticky remains of what had once been the spider attempting to kill him, one leg twitching slightly before the entire thing disappeared, spider guts included. What he saw on the other side of the street shocked him even more than the giant arachnid, or the massive glowing boot.

Anastashia Wayne was bathed in a soft blue light, her right hand raised up and what looked like a star resting on her finger. Her eyes had changed colour and light was banding through her hair. He blinked, and realised she wasn't actually standing on the ground; her feet were a couple of inches off the tarmac. Elijah swallowed and stood up slowly, broken glass from the car falling from his coat with a soft tinkling noise. He took a small step forward and Ana's eyes turned to look at him. She dropped to the ground and the light faded away, withdrawing into her hand. More specifically into what he had mistaken for a star, but was actually a ring. He swallowed, a memory rising. A very specific memory, from the night of the party. He stayed very still as she ran a hand through her hair, a sheepish look very briefly crossing her face. "So maybe neither of us have very truthful with each other, have we."

It wasn't a question and he frowned. "What do you mean?" Always the diplomatic route.

She snorted, staring at him in exasperation. "Vampire."


End file.
